Awakening
by Sweetest Days
Summary: Lucia has regained her memories and all the trouble that comes with them. A year has passed of hiding from those troubles. Everyone believes her to be dead. What begins when they find evidence to the contrary? CastielXCandyXpossible oc. Please read and review!
1. Awakening

Author note: Some of the conversations between Lucia and Castiel were taken directly from the first MCL episode. I won't be doing that for future chapters though unless I think the conversations seemed particularly funny or flirty to me. This story will be following the MCL episodes but also shadowing a partial AU. The AU comes from the past of Lucia.

_Italics such as these are meant to represent fragments of Lucia's memories._

Disclaimer: I own only Lucia. Everything else belongs to the wonderful MCL creators and they get all the moolah. None of it goes to me.

Basic character profile:

Lucia

16

Long pale blue/silver hair, pale crimson eyes. White porcelain skin tone.

Past: Unknown.

She was given to Auntie Tata a bit before the start of the story. She was in a comatose state. Some trauma caused her to lose her memories.

Her basic personality is flirty. However some things trigger her darker nature and she lashes out on instinct. If something triggers her shift she becomes seemingly cruel. Known triggers are being pushed around and being grabbed without her awareness. She becomes playful at times but mostly when she flirts or when she had been triggered.

She prefers to sleep and daydream and will not rouse herself unless she has to. Prefers clothes she can move easy and not feel restricted in.

* * *

Chapter one

_Wherever she was it was the same. She couldn't help it. Something in her was broken. Why else would they do this? _

_ She was bad news. A calamity on the universe. It was best that they did this to her. The way he described it made so much sense. She didn't mean to cause the harm he and the others claimed she did. _

_ In the end though she did. So he said she had to disappear. She had to not exist anymore. It felt wrong. To think of it in such a way… It was a dirty thought. But not all actions taken to protect the world could be pure. And in the end it was one life for all the rest. _

_ If someone like him said it then it had to be true. He was so good. Even though he could have let her die he hadn't. He had protected her from herself. And thanks to him they were going to put her to sleep first. He promised she wouldn't be hurt._

_ … She really did despise herself. She was so sorry to exist. To cause him so much pain… She really and truly despised herself. _

_ He came to get her after awhile. He was the only one she didn't lash out at. She didn't mean to cause him any harm. She never would intentionally. But she had done something so unforgivable before she was aware he even existed. _

_ She couldn't deny the facts. She loved chaos. She loved the color red. But she didn't want to love those things. She had tried so hard. Tried so hard to not burden him with what she was. _

_ … She must have failed somehow. _

_ "Are you alright?" She heard a voice ask. It was his. So important somehow… _

_ "Are you alright?" Why couldn't she answer? He would get upset if she didn't. She knew it. _

_ "Are you alright?" He repeated in the same tone. _

_ Why was everything repeating? And these negative thoughts… Were they really hers? _

_ "You look pale… Maybe you should just rest." A new voice said as she closed her eyes. "Just rest."_

_ "You are you. And you've done nothing wrong." So kind… Much kinder than his voice. _

_ "But… Who am I?" She murmured. "Where…?"_

_ Images flashed before her in a blur. Eyes all around. Most were either indifferent. Some were kind. Others were so cold. And then these sad eyes… So sad… _

_ "I was so worried you wouldn't wake up!" Someone cried, someone so important. Or they had been before he had taken possession of her. But what about this new voice? _

_ She stretched and reached. She tried to connect the things that haunted her. But then they all vanished in a great burst. She screamed as pain lanced her body. _

_ It hurt! _

_ Nobody had said it would hurt so! And above her screams, a voice… She couldn't recall who…_

_ "STOP!"_

The light was blinding. She immediately re-shut her eyes against the harshness of it. She blinked slowly. Her surroundings were very unfamiliar to her…

She sat up in the bed and gazed around. A bookcase and chair was beside an open window. The curtains flowed gently in the wind that came in. Outside was where the harsh light came from. She decided she didn't like it.

A great weight was settled in the pit of her, as though she hadn't been asleep long enough.

Suddenly the door was gently opened and an interesting sight stood in the doorway. A woman was there. She wore the most peculiar clothes. She looked like a fairy or something. She even had a wand thing and some fake wings.

"You… You're awake?!" She gasped.

Her voice struck something deep in the girl on the bed. Some chord… She lost it as quickly as it came.

"Who are you?" The girl asked calmly.

The older woman widened her eyes. She stepped forward and studied the pale crimson eyes before her. Such eyes were not an everyday human thing. Nor was the long pale bluish silver hair natural.

"You… Don't remember?"

"No."

"Ah… I see…"

"Lay back down Lucia." The fairy said, her eyes avoiding contact. She chewed her lip as though worried.

"Lucia…?"

"Your name. And you can call me Auntie Tata! Or just Auntie." She smiled so nicely.

Lucia had a feeling not many people smiled at her a lot. She didn't know where such an idea came from but it had to be true if she thought it.

"Auntie, where am I?" She asked instead. She wanted to know things… She needed to know things.

"Well your home of course!"

"Home? And who am I?"

"You are you, my dear little niece!"

"Okay then. But… Where is home? And… Why can't I remember anything? I can't recall… Anything… But these voices…"

"Voices…?" Auntie bit her lip again and cast her eyes away. She seemed to struggle for correct words. "You… He said your body may react this way. What happened to you… Wasn't nice. I don't know exactly what it was so don't bother asking that. He said you'd remember when your body was ready to handle it…. We live in a small town though. And you are going to be attending high school here when you're ready. First though… We must get you strong again."

Auntie helped Lucia up then. The girl was dangerously skinny. Yet Auntie had been giving the girl the proper nourishment since he'd left her in her care. She hoped so at least. And she hoped Lucia never regained her memories. From what she knew her life before hadn't been the best. She wanted to give Lucia stability.

She took Lucia shopping. Lucia showed a preference for darker clothing that revealed her slender frame. It couldn't be helped. The girl had been warped after all. Auntie stopped her purchasing a pair of daggers though.

For Lucia the day was exhausting. She didn't know why she was so tired. But she did learn a lot. Auntie had a cheerful demeanor that reminded her of something. A person from so long ago… She couldn't catch it though.

Auntie bought her something she called a cell phone. It was so she could always stay in contact. Lucia didn't like it. And she didn't like the pop music pouring from the stereos.

She didn't mind some of it though. Rock was okay. It seemed to be a lot of useless noise to her. She did admit to liking the car though since it was a fast way of travel.

Auntie was glad Lucia had retained basic skills. She could read and write well. And she remembered how to dress herself and all the important things. She knew nothing about schooling though. She went around and absorbed information.

When she began to look really pale Auntie began having her eat. Lucia herself didn't really posess the ability to tell if she was hungry or not. The result was her not eating much.

Over the next few weeks her personal identity became clearer. She disliked technology. She preferred to sleep and daydream. But if she had to be up and about she read books. She had fastly conquered some other languages and thusly read novels of many different varieties.

She had some attitude. She disliked being told what to do. And she showed what Auntie called spunk. However if you asked politely enough she was fairly laid back about doing things for someone.

Auntie wouldn't tell her who had given Lucia to her. She said that if he wanted her to know he'd tell her himself. The time wasn't ready yet. She wasn't ready yet.

Her dreams were still haunting her. And sad blue eyes saddened her. Then crimson eyes so like hers would set her blood pumping, heat would rush into her. She yearned for them both. But why?

Her dreams never solved anything. They always ended. She was left to chase them when she was awake and frustrate herself. Once Auntie had come home after a particular dream. She had felt the pain again. That awful piercing pain that tore her in two and made her scream.

Auntie held the frightened girl to her and said it was okay and that she was safe now.

Auntie gave her a sapphire necklace. She couldn't explain why but as soon as she touched it she felt hopeless. But she couldn't bear to take it off.

All too soon Auntie realized she had to send Lucia to school. She had gotten rather fond of keeping the girl close. But if she did that then she was no better than the others before her.

So she took Lucia in to sign up. Lucia accepted the money and the cell phone with a frown. She didn't like the small plastic thing and avoided carrying it if she could.

"Now don't give me that look Darling!" Auntie beamed. "You'll love it here, I know! All these cute boys to chase. Oh to be young again!"

"What?! I thought I was being sent here to learn, not chase after boys!" Lucia snapped.

Auntie merely beamed brighter at her and Lucia backed down a bit. "Well of course an education is very important Darling. But nothing is more beautiful than the quest of LOVE!"

"Love is a wasted thing that destroys." Lucia said instantly.

"Wherever did you get that idea? Love is a wondrous thing Lucia!"

"I don't know… It just feels like something I was told before…" Lucia shrugged and got out of the car before Auntie could bother her more about love nonsense.

Auntie wasn't easily deterred though. She rolled down the window and continued to talk. "Whoever said that is wrong Lucia. You shouldn't think of love as something unworthy."

"I didn't say unworthy. I said useless." Lucia corrected with a grimace.

"Well you are wrong." Auntie said confidently. "And when the love bug bites you I'll do all I can to help you on your quest of course!"

Before Lucia could retort Auntie had sped away. Lucia watched her go for a moment. She clutched her paperwork before her in a folder. She was unaware of much else. Her mind circled what her Auntie said about love.

"Useless… All it does is cause hurt…" She muttered.

She was certain of it.

She snapped from her reverie however when arms wrapped around her. She didn't think. She surrendered all her weight to her captor and they fell to the ground. She rolled atop him and had her hand around his throat instantly. She froze when she saw a geeky little boy under her.

"K-Ken?"

She loosened her grip.

Ken was the son of one of her Aunties friends. Some man in the military. She didn't really get it. He was supposed to be responsible for the nation's security. She didn't get why everyone didn't just protect themselves.

Ken had followed her around a few weeks ago when they were visiting. He had quickly become enamored with her and Auntie had sighed at how indifferent to him Lucia was.

"Why are you here?" Lucia demanded.

"Ah… Well you see… Could you…" He stammered.

"What?" She asked with her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"N-not that I don't really like… Well, like you being on top of me and all but I-uh…"

Lucia gasped as she realized what he meant. She was straddling him, her thighs pressed around him. Her hand was still clasped around his neck as well but it had no pressure to it anymore. It was more like a caress now. She jerked away and crossed her arms.

Ken was blushing red as he rolled to his feet. He picked up her paperwork as well and handed it to her with a small shaking in his hands.

"What are you doing here?" She asked again.

"Well I couldn't bear to not see you anymore! And now you know at least one person here in school right?"

"You are attending Sweet Amoris?" She murmured. "Lovely. Listen Ken I really have to go."

She left him alone. As she made her way she paused in a courtyard. It was pretty here. The place was filled with trees. She got happy looking at one that seemed made for climbing. A shard of her past? Had she liked climbing trees or something? She smiled pleasantly.

As she turned to leave though she was again halted. This time by herself crashing into someone.

"Hey!" He snapped and she glared at him as well.

"Watch where you're going!" He snapped.

She glared right back. "Are you always this friendly or am I just lucky?"

He crossed his arms and frowned at her. She felt him raking her with his gaze. He paused at her legs and then traveled up to her revealed stomach. Lastly he refocused on her eyes. He didn't flinch at the oddness of their color.

"Yeah especially with new students… I'm Castiel."

"Lucia…" She muttered. She held his gaze which seemed to surprise him in some way. Was it odd?

After a moment she turned on her heel and left without saying anything else. He certainly was interesting. She had felt something spark. She could see perfectly someone's eyes. Someone had used to glare at her like that a lot.

She was stopped in the hall by an old woman with glasses. Her gray hair was pulled into a tight bun. She surveyed Lucia who was starting to be annoyed. The next person to survey her like she was a pork chop was going to be very lucky if she could control herself.

"You must be Lucia. That skirt is much to revealing when you walk. And that top… Well it is far too revealing for one so young as you."

Lucia merely cocked a brow and crossed her arms. She liked her outfit. It was easy to maneuver in. The top was sleeveless and covered only her breasts and some of her stomach. The skirt was past her knees but it had many long slits that made the cloth sway around her so it revealed as much as it concealed. She wore a pair of leather ankle boots and some black fingerless gloves that came to her elbow. Lastly the sapphire necklace winked brightly from between her breasts.

"Anyway you should go see Nathaniel. He can get you enrolled and show you your schedule. The student council room is right there." She said as a goodbye.

Lucia was just preparing to go in the room when she was rather rudely pushed. She turned to see what had to be the schools popular nasties.

The one who led the little pack had big blond curls that really didn't suit her at all. And far too much makeup. The other had a pony tail that was so perfect Lucia wanted to rip it from her head. And the last was putting on what Auntie had called lipstick. Way too much of it as well. Anymore and she'd look like a clown.

"You must be the new student. Well with a girl like this and that other guy we didn't get lucky this year did we girls?!"

They laughed shrilly. It grated on her nerves to listen to it.

"You'd best move out of our way. And don't even think of going after Nathaniel!"

Lucia rolled her eyes. Was everyone here obsessed with finding love or something?

Still she didn't like this girls tone. So she smirked. Something uncoiled a bit inside her and made her want to see this girl cry.

"Well now I haven't met this Nathaniel yet. But if he is so important to you… Maybe he can become important to me instead?"

"You better watch it new girl! I'll make you seriously regret it if you touch him."

"Too much makeup… Too much hair product… And you laugh like a hyena. Not to mention your nasty little attitude. How you manage to get up in the morning baffles me. But with all this it shouldn't be hard to convert little Nathaniel over to my side." Lucia smirked.

But that sentence… It sounded familiar…

_Convert… To our side…._

"Listen here you-"

As the blond grabbed her Lucia left her memory fragment in the dust and she knocked the gripping hand from her. She used the momentum to shove the girl into the wall rather harshly. The sudden fear both sickened her and pleased her.

"No I think I won't be listening." Lucia leaned in close. "Check the attitude when you see me. Or else next time I'll do more than make your back sore."

With a final shove she let the blond slip from her fingers. She walked past the other two who were gaping like fish. She drank in their anger and felt like laughing.

After she was away though she felt guilty. What was wrong with her? While it was happening she wanted to make them all bleed. She had wanted to see that violent color and hear their fear laced voices. Now she felt sickened with herself…

_I truly do despise myself… Why did I have to exist?_

She froze when the voice danced across her thoughts. She knew it was her voice. Just what was wrong with her? She had to remember her past… It was very important that these voices, these shards stopped haunting her in weird ways.

Her past self would be put to rest.

With the thought she opened a door and stepped in. The room contained some file cabinets and a long table surrounded by chairs. One student sat there. He had his blond head bent and was scribbling swiftly on some paperwork. He looked very busy.

"Hello… I'm looking for Nathaniel." Lucia said after a moment.

He looked up and she was greeted by warm golden eyes. He seemed to blush a bit when he looked her over. She walked further into the room. His eyes tracked her movements.

"That would be me. I'm Nathaniel. And you must be Lucia."

"Yes."

He cleared his throat and gestured for her to hand over the folder of papers she had. Once he had them he quickly sifted through them. He occasionally wrote his signature.

"Well you're basically okay… But you're missing some things. You still need the form with your Guardians signature and a photo id."

"Are you sure? I checked it all over myself." Lucia crossed her arms.

He cleared his throat again. He had a habit of that. "Just to be sure I'll check again. Come back later and we'll see if it's all settled."

"Alright I'll go get an id. Any idea where I get that?"

"Try the dollar store. It's not far from school. Just make a right and follow it straight down."

"Mm Thanks!" She winked at him before she darted from the room.

And who would be in the hall but the three plastics?

She smiled pleasantly and walked past them. This time they didn't hassle her.

She went back to the courtyard. She didn't really feel like the walk to the dollar store. It wasn't like it was a pressing issue. She wouldn't be attending classes today anyway. And she was getting tired.

She found the same tree she had been staring at earlier. Nobody was around. She reached out and grasped a branch and easily pulled herself up. Once she had pulled herself high enough to not be easily seen she settled herself. Her back pressed against the trunk and she let one leg dangle from her thick branch. The other lay against the branch easily.

A cool breeze caressed her cheek and made her close her eyes. It was so peaceful. She felt safer then she had recently. It was an odd feeling.

_She was running through a mountain path surrounded by trees. Her legs were burning and her heart pounded. Blood covered her. She could feel it running down her arm and congealing onto her fingers. She was leaving a trail of it but that didn't matter. Where she was they could never follow. _

_She had to make sure… Of what? It was so important! She had to know. All she knew was they had to be lying. _

_The scene changed and she was standing outside a building. Fury and a bloodlust burned in her core. They would pay. _

"Hey little girl!"

The voice burst across the dream and made her arch up. The action made her slip slightly. She quickly straddled the branch with her thighs and clenched onto the rough bark to hold her steady. Her heart pounded.

A dream… A dream interrupted by Castiel. His eyes were narrowed and he was braced as though to catch her. He relaxed after a second when he noticed she wasn't going to fall.

He was looking at her legs again. When she was asleep he had stumbled on her by accident. Something had told him to look up. She had been reclining so peacefully. The cloth of her skirt had slipped away to leave her whole thigh bare to him. Her porcelain skin looked as smooth as cream.

She shifted so she could dangle both her legs over and crossed one over the other.

"What are you doing?"

"Well I just got here and their already pestering me about paperwork."

Castiel smirked and relaxed his crossed arms. "Yeah I know what you mean. Good luck with that idiot president."

His tone was so familiar. She could feel the current of it and smirked. He sounded very amused with the idea of her being stuck with Nathaniel.

"You have a problem with him I take it." She commented dryly. She reclined back against the tree.

"Yeah I've never seen anyone so uptight in my life." His demeanor relaxed some more but his face tightened slightly. It obviously wasn't the whole story but it was part of it.

Lucia thought about the serious student she left in the council room. Despite the fact it was public school he wore a uniform. And the pens lining his pocket were all straight. She bet they all had black ink and were ball point.

"Hmm. I bet you're right about that." She said thoughtfully.

His attitude shifted more and he relaxed. His lips turned up in a small smirk that made him seem more approachable. It was a nice change from the defensive arm cross and glare he'd been sporting with her. She smiled with him and it was a small moment. A small shift somewhere in the air. It was a moment of perfect accord between them.

"Well you'd better go get it done. Otherwise they'll never leave you alone." He smirked.

Lucia frowned. She really didn't feel like the walk…. But she supposed if she didn't they'd call Auntie in. And she didn't want to see Auntie angry on her first day. If the fairy wearing adult could get angry that is. She seemed to float between a cheerfulness that dripped honey to a concern that screamed "Let me help!"

"This is annoying." She muttered.

She leaped from the tree without thought. Castiel hadn't expected her action and he gasped slightly. But he caught himself and managed to grab her before she hit the ground. She hadn't expected his move and therefore she reached out on instinct when he pulled her to him.

As he took her weight he stumbled back a step but kept his feet. He noted her hands clenched in his jackets material and her wide eyes. Her face was slightly red… It was the first time he'd seen her without a partially dreamy face.

"What the hell were you thinking?! What would you have done if I hadn't been here to catch you?" He snapped irritably.

She blushed worse and he couldn't help but feel a bit manlier for some reason.

"I would have landed on my feet, duh." She muttered.

"You aren't a cat." He retorted.

Lucia sighed. "Look won't you… Please get your hands off before you continue your rant? I don't even know you so…"

Castiel finally realized where his hands had settled in his heroic act. He had his hands on either side of her, the palms of his hands caressing her breasts as his fingers dug into her back.

"Ah… Yeah." He mumbled and released her.

Lucia jerked away. Her heart was pounding. Heat had pooled into her cheeks. That moment of peace had shattered to be filled with awkwardness she wasn't sure she wanted to breach. She didn't like the way his touch had affected her. His hands there had felt nice. It had created a wave through her body she couldn't remember if she'd ever felt before.

Now she could vaguely understand how Ken had felt earlier. It was a similar situation. Only it was reverse. She was the one without words while Castiel was the one staring at her calmly.

"I have to go." She muttered and pushed him aside to leave the school grounds.

Castiel watched her go. He couldn't help but notice the catlike grace in her walk. It was fluid and unhurried. But he had the distinct impression she could go from a relaxed to action in a millisecond.

And his original thought had been right… Her skin was soft.

'What girl's skin isn't soft?" He muttered to himself. "God I must need to get laid bad."

Yeah, that was it.

Lucia twisted the sapphire between her fingers as she walked. The town really was small. Abnormally so.

She pushed open the door to the dollar store and glanced around. A photo booth was in the corner. Lucia gazed around the store until she saw what had to be the clerk.

"Scuse me?" He turned to her. "Um, how do you use this thing?"

He had a pleasant enough face. Even if his clothes were too bright. He came around the counter and showed her where to insert her bills. Ten dollars was a lot she thought. It was supposed to be a dollar store. Throwing a zero after the one didn't sound like a dollar to her.

She thanked him anyway and went back along her way. She got back to school and went to the council room. Nathaniel looked up when she cam in.

"Ah you're back finally." Was his voice a tad accusing? "I found your paperwork. Now all I need is the entrance fee and a student id copy."

She handed it all over. He glanced at her picture and put it into a manila folder. Along with her other paperwork. The money went in a locked file cabinet. Finally he grabbed the folder and turned to look at her.

"Well in any case welcome to Sweet Amoris High." He smiled a bit.

The smile relaxed his face and made him more approachable. Why she was noticing things like that were beyond her. But all day she had been observing the other students body postures and expressions.

"Hmm. I didn't get a chance to show you around earlier. Would you like me to now?"

"No thanks. I think I've ran around this school enough for a day." She smiled.

"I can imagine. Then I'll see you tomorrow."

She left him then and was going to walk home. Before she could though a familiar red head popped into her vision.

"Yo Lucia! You heading home?"

"Yeah I'm more than ready to go curl up under my covers." She winked. "Wanna join?"

"Ha in dreams little girl." He smirked.

"Yours naturally."

"Yeah right." He returned.

"You know your shirt…"

He gave her a look. "What? Does it remind you of some little cartoon you watch?"

She shoved him a bit. "Oh shush. Its some rock band isn't it?"

Castiel gaped at her a moment before he recovered. His trademark smirk graced his features as he put a hand on his hip. "Oh so the little new girl knows about the Winged Skull band?"

"I listen to rock every now and again… It's not the worst thing out there."

"Huh, I don't know many girls who listen to them…" He seemed to study her again. Then he grinned. It wasn't his usual smirk. "Hey wanna see something cool?"

"… Sure I guess."

He led her through several floors. She didn't think the school was so large. He told her he had stolen the keys from the teachers lounge. She shook her head and smiled at how pleased he sounded.

When he opened the door and she stepped out onto the school roof however she could see why. It was an awesome view. If she looked she could see her apartment complex. And also the few stores scattered here and there.

"Wow." She murmured.

Suddenly something clicked in her.

"_We have to have a good balance. You're useless if you can't." A cold voice sneered._

"_I'm not useless!" She snapped. _

"_Lucia!" Another voice shouted as she tumbled from her moment of broken concentration. _

It was gone too.

When Castiel turned from making sure the door wouldn't slam shut he received a shock.

"What the hell Lucia?!"

End chapter one

* * *

Author note: Well here it is. So what did you all think? Don't worry they aren't in love yet. And they may never be. You won't know until I write that chapter. I really want some opinions.

How was Lucia?

Does Castiel seem ooc?

Did you see any mistakes that need to be edited out?

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback you'd be willing to give.


	2. Awakening emotion

Author note: Well here is the second chapter. I hope it makes you smile!

Elise1999: From what I could gather… Castiel is too uptight and Nathaniel is too laidback? Correct if I'm wrong. But I'm glad you enjoyed even with the mistakes. And thank you for the feedback. I hope this time my Castiel is up to snuff!

Love this Fanfic: Your enthusiasm… It makes me bashful in a way… But in a good way. I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter so much. Here's hoping the second is just as good for you!

Cookiemonster: Well if you want less perfect I can try... XD. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I can only hope my second go round does not dissapoint in any way. Let me know kk?

* * *

Chapter two

Lucia turned to face Castiel. He didn't move even though his instinct was to yank her down. He knew if he startled her and she jerked back she'd at best be seriously injured. At worst it was sayonara Lucia.

She balanced precariously on the wall fencing that surrounded the roof. It wouldn't be too big a deal if the support for her feet wasn't thinner than her boots.

There was something in her eyes. A blank coldness he hadn't seen earlier. It was like she was far away in some waking dream.

When he became convinced she wasn't going to fall he relaxed and smirked at her.

"Seriously Little girl. Do you have a death wish?"

Lucia blinked when she heard the voice. It shattered her distraction as easily as a fist through a window. Castiel saw the return of the dreamy flirty girl he'd met earlier.

He took a chance and stepped forward. He paused when he was close enough to grab her if she lost her balance. Or the wind knocked her over. Seeing as he doubted she was over a hundred pounds soaking wet he could believe a small puff of wind would knock her away. He could see it a bit too clearly.

"Come on Little girl. I said earlier you aren't a cat."

"Maybe I am." She returned easily. "Maybe I'm just hiding my ears and tail."

Castiel smirked. "Oh? Well in that case keep hiding them. I can't stand cats."

He held out his hand to her and she gazed at it. He could see the debate in her eyes.

"Hey come on now. I won't bite you… Hard." He couldn't resist adding.

She flashed her eyes back to his. She smiled when she saw the joke. After another moment she let him pull her back down to solid ground. She didn't pull her hand away. She liked how he seemed to be absently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

Then she flashed a flirty smile. "Well I will bite. So watch where you put your teeth."

Castiel chuckled and pulled her close. His other hand went around to her lower back to make her arch against him. "Trust me Little Girl. You'd love where I put my teeth." He whispered in her ear.

His mission was accomplished. A blush flew to her cheeks and she yanked away. He wouldn't release her though until he bit the shell of her ear lightly. Then he let her fly from his hold.

Lucia turned quickly to study the view. Again… He had managed to fluster her again. Was this her punishment for not taking Ken seriously? The higher powers had decided to drop a flirting time bomb in her path as a form of retribution?

As for Castiel he felt a bit too victorious. He had found a new toy. Lucia amused him. And she didn't annoy him like some of the other girls.

Amber was too snotty and girly. Violet was way too quiet. Peggy was very lucky she was a girl and he didn't hit her sometimes. He could imagine running his hands along Melody but she was way to close to the President for him to really get interested in it. Kim was too punk. And Cappuchine was like a little Amber clone. He could bet that she had a shrine dedicated to the preppy blond nightmare.

The only girl he could stomach for more than five minutes at the school was Iris. She was friendly and she didn't push. She seemed to recognize that he needed space. And had found the perfect balance. She had a way of simply smiling and moving along when he wanted to be left alone. And then chatting about free and neutral topics when he didn't mind to talk.

Now there was Lucia. He could tell something was up with her. Something was twisted. But she was so much fun to tease. She didn't really fit into any category he'd made for women.

… She most definitely was not like his ex.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind he shook his head. She had chosen her path. And it didn't have room for him so that chapter was closed.

"It is really high up." Lucia murmured suddenly.

She had schooled the blush along her cheeks. Castiel leaned against the fence and looked down to the ground.

"You have a weird thing for heights Little Girl." He chuckled again.

Lucia shrugged. "I don't know… Maybe."

"What? You either do or you don't. That makes no sense." He crossed his arms.

"Ah… Well I might have. I really couldn't tell you."

"What you can't remember if you like something or not? Come on Little Girl nobody has that bad a memory!"

"But I do. I don't have a past. All I have is what Auntie told me which is nothing."

Castiel frowned and studied her. There was no change in her expression. She kept staring out into the sky. He couldn't tell if she was joking or not. But her face was so indifferent, like she was saying the weather. And so far when she joked she smiled and had a gleam in her eyes.

"So you don't remember anything? What happened?" He asked after a moment.

"Slivers and shards. I can vaguely recall some voices. And sometimes when I say something or see something I can kind of remember things but they vanish before I can retain them. As for what happened… All I know is I woke up about a month ago and didn't know who I was at all."

They talked about an hour more. Then they said their goodbyes. Lucia went home. Her Aunt wasn't home yet. She went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of her lavender drink. She took it into the living room and curled onto the sofa.

As she drank she looked out the window. The talk with Castiel had unsettled her.

Was it really so odd to not have a past? But she couldn't do anything about it. She closed her eyes and tried to pull something out. Anything! A voice, a place. She couldn't even make sense of the jumbled things she'd recalled. They were too vague.

"_You know you'll destroy yourself if you don't start to like it." The voice had a mocking tone. She loved the sound of it. _

"_I can't help it. It's fun at first but then I think about what I'm doing… What I'm taking away." Her voice was so different. Was this the version of her who despised herself? _

"_Look just-"_

_The voice faded away and left her in the dark again. She blinked slowly in confusion. Then she felt a phantom touch along her breasts. It wasn't like when Castiel touched her. It was more of a deliberate caress and it made her burn despite her embarrassment. Whoever this was she had known and trusted him. _

"_W-what are you doing?" She heard herself ask. _

"_Just shut up. You enjoy this as much as I do." That same mocking voice… Only now it was softer and filled with something she didn't recognize. _

"_Mmm." _

_She couldn't see his face. It was shrouded in darkness. All she could hear was his voice and feel his touch. _

"_I don't get why you get so amused by undoing me like this." She muttered._

_Whoever the voice was chuckled. "And yet when I stop you pounce on me... So why wonder?"_

"_Because this is wrong… If they knew we'd be more vulnerable."_

"_Listen Lucia. There is nothing wrong with touching another human body. It feels kind of nice sometimes."_

"_But-"_

"_Shut up. We've been around each other for a long time and we'll be together for a great longer more. So we shouldn't we follow our desire to examine each other." _

_But… Who are you? Who was I? _

_As soon as she thought it the dream shattered._

When Auntie finally came home Lucia was still in her place. She had stretched her body out on the sofa and cushioned her head with her arm against the edge of it. She was fast asleep.

She pulled a thick blanket that hung from the sofa and gently tucked Lucia in it. The little girl looked so peaceful when she slept. As though nothing could bother her or cause her pain.

"I'll never let them hurt you again. I promise."

Lucia went into the school building the next morning. She wasn't looking forward to classes. She wasn't looking forward to much of anything to do with the building if the truth were told. Castiel would amuse her in some small way she was sure. And Ken would probably be trailing after like a puppy she'd kicked one too many times.

She paused by the locker they'd given her and tried to remember the combination. It was a big blank in her mind. While she stood there wondering something fluttered in front of her. She caught the paper without thinking and glanced at it without interest.

Then she did the classic double take. It was her… A very poor doodle over her school id picture. She cocked her brow at it.

"My you don't seem too photogenic."

She turned to see Amber and her two little lackeys. She had found out there names by accident yesterday from Castiel. She glanced again at the picture and crumbled it up before tossing it into her number one annoyances face. Amber glared at her. But she seemed to have learned something from yesterday at least. She didn't make any move to grab Lucia. Smart move.

"What you want some more?" She snarled. "Here you go. We have lots!" She reached into the locker beside Lucia and threw more papers in the air.

Of all the dumb luck! Of course her locker was beside Ambers. The fates liked to toy with her it seemed.

"Okay now. Let's get something clear." Lucia said with a deadly calm. "I am on a whole different level than you. Where I am you can't even touch because you can't stomach to get yourself dirty to get revenge. And until you do you are not a threat. Until you get to my level you can't compete with me."

Amber opened her mouth to retort but Lucia reached out and touched her cheek. It sent a chill through the girl and made her freeze. The crimson eyes looking at her were filled with coldness and yet also held a mild interest and amusement.

Amber rallied though. "You're such a freak!" She spat and knocked the hand away.

Lee laughed a bit too shrill and Charlotte stayed quiet.

Lucia smiled a bit. "Oh never mind for now. Please do keep up with these childish little pranks. Be careful how far you go though. I do have an end to patience."

She stepped around the girls and made for the council room. Even if it didn't really affect her the simple fact was Amber didn't get her picture by coincidence. So she slammed the door open and glared fiercely at Nathaniel.

He was with another student, a female. The girl was pretty in a fragile sort of way and Lucia did admire her poise. She jumped slightly before clasping her hands before her. Lucia could admire the girl for not gasping.

"I think you were warned yesterday about your outfits." Nathaniel said as way of greeting. "I'll have to write you up for it this time."

Lucia rolled her eyes. She couldn't win with these annoying school rules it seemed. She wore black leather short shorts and a red corset top.

"Then do it." She waved a careless hand. "And while you do you can explain how that juvenile little imbecile you call a Sister got hold of my picture."

Melody looked between the two. Nathaniel had stiffened at the insult to Amber but he wasn't as dangerous seeming as the interesting girl before her.

Lucia's whole posture mocked her anger. She had a hand on her cocked hip and the other was lax at her side and her head tilted as though she was curious. But in her eyes was no amusement now.

"Amber is my Sister." Nathaniel said in false calm. "More importantly you can't go accusing people without proof."

"I don't need proof to know you are a very poor student president if you can't keep private documents out of the wrong hands." Lucia spat.

Nathaniel stiffened more. "Do you want this job?!" He snapped.

Melody reached out and touched his arm. He glared a moment at her but quickly sighed. The tension in his shoulders eased a bit.

"Look we don't know how anyone got hold of your picture. But we'll take them down for you. And my apologies for the embarrassment it must have caused you." Melody said.

Lucia looked the girl over again. Her anger drained as quick as it had ignited and she seemed suddenly approachable again. Melody didn't understand the sudden shift. Lucia now looked vaguely bored and like she wasn't fully listening.

"And who are you?" Lucia asked after a moment of silence passed.

"My name is Melody. And you are Lucia." Melody smiled very naturally.

"Yeah…" Lucia smiled a bit herself and Melody found she didn't dislike the girl. Anybody would be angry with what had happened. She didn't hold the girls attitude a moment ago against her.

"Well thank you then." Lucia turned to leave before Nathaniel stopped her.

"Wait there is one more thing. You can't just go attacking students whenever you feel like it." He said.

"What are you talking about?" Lucia asked with her arms crossed.

"Amber told me what happened. You can't shove people into the walls." His whole posture screamed intolerance again.

"Oh… That." Lucia murmured with a small smirk.

"So you don't even deny it?" Nathaniel demanded. He put his face in his hand. "We don't need a student like you causing trouble for the students who are here to learn."

Lucia laughed suddenly.

"Um, Lucia?" Melody looked between them.

Lucia waved a hand again and turned to leave.

"Wait a second!" Nathaniel snapped.

"Oh but Nathaniel! Did she show you proof?" Lucia mocked.

"What?!"

"Wasn't it you who said you can't go around accusing people without proof? See you Melody."

"Ah… See you?" Melody replied to an empty doorway.

Lucia was now in a good mood. Nathaniel was very entertaining. It was fun to push his buttons. She wondered how far she'd need to push to make him see red. She giggled a bit at the thought.

She wondered what to do. Class had already started and she didn't feel like getting scolded. She felt too good for that.

So she wandered the halls until she found the stairs leading to the roof. Castiel hadn't locked it back. She smiled a bit in victory. Once she was up there she breathed in the cool air and leaped back up onto the fencing. She seemed to have a good balance. Yesterday had proven it.

She could vaguely recall… The way the wind felt whipping her cheeks as she tumbled from some great height.

Why were feelings so easier to capture than actual threads of memories?

She looked down. Would she die if she jumped? Would anyone care?

Auntie yes. And maybe the mysterious "He" who gave her to Auntie would probably care. Would the voice she heard in her dreams care?

And what about that other voice? The one who filled her with self-loathing and a desire to cease to exist. His voice was just as important to her as the harsh mocking one.

She sighed and jumped back down onto the roof. Such thoughts did her no good.

She lay down in a spot the sun shone brightly. Her eyes closed and she sighed blissfully in the warmth and peace. She didn't dream.

She blinked tiredly when a shadow blocked her sun. She turned onto her side and mumbled sleepily. A hand shook her but she batted it away irritably. "Go away Auntie."

"I'm not your Auntie." Castiel smirked.

Lucia sighed and rolled onto her back. "Are you sure? I could picture you running around in a fairy costume."

"By the way Lucia…" He ignored her comment. "Nice picture!"

Lucia groaned and held her hands out to be lifted. Castiel rolled his eyes but pulled her up. He held her a moment while she shook her head to clear sleep from her.

"You saw it?" She mumbled with a yawn.

"Yeah, like half the rest of the school." He said.

"Oh joy… You think its funny too don't you?"

"You'd be right." He laughed suddenly.

"Oh shut up. It wasn't your picture being plastered up everywhere!" She jerked away and crossed her arms.

Castiel crossed his arms as well. "I'd be surprised if they tried. Does it bother you that much?"

"It's not so much the prank itself. It's that my privacy was totally invaded. A privacy that moronic Nathaniel should have been keeping."

"Yeah I heard you went off on him." Castiel commented. "Too bad I didn't get to see it. He needs someone to knock him down."

"Anyway if you're so tough why not you defend me?" She said suddenly, jokingly.

"Just like that? Aren't you the cocky one?"

"You love it and you know it." She smirked back. "Anyway it was those three annoyances… Amber, ugh! Her name is starting to irritate me."

"Ah ha, you mean Nathaniel's sister and her friends! If there was a reward for getting on peoples nerves they'd win it."

"Glad it amuses you so much." Lucia muttered. "If they keep pushing me I'll have to get back at them someday."

"I'd be interested in seeing that." Castiel smirked again. "Oh by the way Little Girl."

"What?"

"Go basketball."

"… What rock did you hit your head on this morning?" Lucia asked.

"Ha, ha. You'll see what I mean soon."

They went back to the main school and she went to her next class. Castiel laughed and vanished without a trace. The whole time she sat there. It was an algebra class. She wasn't retaining any of it. It was a bunch of random numbers to her and she could tell if she ditched any class again it would be this one for sure. No wonder Castiel flew the coop.

"Kentin! How nice of you to join us today. Sit there and take this to your parents to sign tonight."

"Yes, sir." Ken sat a few desks behind her.

Lucia turned to look at him. His shoulders were slumped and his normal grin was missing. And behind the thick glasses she saw his eyes were red.

"LUCIA!" The teacher suddenly snapped.

"What?"

"Will you please turn around and pay attention?"

Lucia sighed and rested her head on her cheek. Like she could focus now! Her patience with the subject had already been thin. Why wasn't anyone asking Ken what was wrong?

After class she cornered him at his desk. Iris looked at her from her position over him. Iris was a nice girl. Talking with her always made her feel happier.

"May I have a minute alone with him Iris?" Lucia asked politely.

"Sure! I hope you feel better Ken." She smiled gently and was gone.

Lucia waited and waited. Ken did not look up at her like he normally would. It was unsettling. She pulled herself atop his desk and shifted until she could straddle it. Her feet rested on his chair on either side of him. He didn't react to the proximity of her.

"Ken what happened?" She asked suddenly.

"Nothing…" He mumbled.

"Don't lie to me!" She snapped and made him look at her. She pulled his chin up roughly and gazed into his eyes.

Suddenly he broke down. Tears started to bubble again and she felt herself stiffen a bit. He shoved himself against her stomach and sobbed. Lucia didn't know what to do. After a minute she began to gently sift her fingers through his hair. It was the only thing she could think to do.

Ken was an annoyance. But he was her annoyance. And she couldn't deny that something in her cracked a bit to see him in such pain. Somehow he had gotten past her defense.

Lucia sighed and fought the urge to shift. His glasses her digging into her stomach at a painful angle. She told herself she wouldn't disturb him while he let it out.

"It was… Amber again! She bullied me and took my money!"

Amber! Lucia grimaced like she was in pain. She was pushing her luck.

"Took your money? Do you have anything left to eat with?"

"Not now." He mumbled.

"Ken you can't let her bully you… You need to be strong." She murmured.

He ceased crying. "I-I know but…"

"No buts. But until you can stand up to her yourself I'm here." She said calmly. "Please don't hide things from me. It makes people like Iris worry even more when you do that."

"Okay."

"Good. You must be hungry. Lunch isn't over for another twenty minutes. Let's go get you some food."

She pushed his chair back gently with her foot. When she had room she stood up and pulled him to her feet.

"But I don't have money."

"I do."

"But then you'll be hungry and-"

"Ken!" She broke over him. "You've known me for at least three weeks now. Have you ever seen me eat a lot? I'll eat when I'm hungry I promise."

She calmly pulled him through the halls. "And besides that Auntie gives me a healthy allowance. I'd hardly go broke feeding you."

They stepped in the cafeteria together. She handed him a ten and told him to go get lunch. She ignored the smiling face of Iris and the confused one of Castiel. She didn't see Amber around so she went for the next best solution… Her Brother Nathaniel.

Melody looked up at her when she came over. But her smile evaporated when she saw the raw fury in the crimson eyes.

"Lucia is something wrong?" She gasped.

"Nothing you can be of help with. I need to talk to you." She directed to Nathaniel.

He looked up at her and prepared to rise. She halted him though. "No. Earlier today I listened and responded. Now you get to listen. Get Amber in check or I will. And you'll both find my way of teaching her isn't as pretty as yours would be."

"What happened now? Can't you leave her alone?" Nathaniel demanded.

"I was leaving her alone! It's her who can't leave Ken alone. See these lovely tear stains? They're his."

"Ken…?"

"Yes. She bullied him and stole his money. Using her sad little tactics on me is one thing. It's a different thing to sharpen your claws on one like him."

"Oh so you care for the little geek?" Amber said suddenly.

"Amber… Is what she says true?" Nathaniel asked.

"Of course it is!" Lucia snapped. "I have better ways to get off than being a lying bitch like her!"

"Oh yeah like your little nerd boy! How good could it really be? With that attitude of yours not that-"

"Amber you-"Nathaniel began but he was cut off.

Lucia had whirled on Amber. "One more word… I really need you to just say one more thing about him. And if I ever hear him crying over you again I'll shatter you into so many shards you'll never recover."

By now the whole lunchroom was watching the display. Ken had sat down beside Iris.

"She's going to get in trouble because of me." He moaned sadly.

"She knows what she is doing. Don't worry." Iris said consolingly.

"Alright let's break this up!" Nathaniel stepped between his Sister and Lucia.

Amber lunged in an attempt to get to Lucia and managed to get past him though. She brought her nails across Lucia's face and something broke again at the flash of pain. Lucia grabbed Amber around the throat when she moved to scratch her again. With a sudden move she turned and slammed the blond across the table. Amber rolled through the trays and slammed onto the laps of the students sitting there.

"Lucia!" Melody gasped and got in front of her.

"Ah…" Lucia blinked. Melody saw the return of the normal Lucia.

"You bitch!" Amber stood up suddenly. She was shaky however and her body was sore in several places.

"ENOUGH!" Nathaniel suddenly roared.

"But Nathaniel!"

"Amber just… Stop… From what I can see you are at fault in this too."

"But she attacked me!" Amber wailed.

"You attacked her first!" Melody suddenly turned to defend Lucia. "Honestly Nathaniel it was self defense. She may have gone overboard on it but…"

"May have?" Nathaniel rubbed his temples. Melody gave him a look of firm determination. "Just get her out of here… The principal has to sort through this… Go get the blood off her."

Blood? Lucia frowned and raised a hand to her cheek. Three scratches had torn her skin. She followed the wet trail down to note that her top was soaking it in. it coated her hand when she pulled it away.

"Lucia you got hurt!" Ken jumped in her path when Melody fussed over her and led her from the cafeteria.

Lucia blinked at him before sighing. "Go eat your meal Ken."

"But… But Lucia!"

'I'm fine I promise. The weak little things that mean to harm you do only stroke you sometimes."

Melody took her to the Student Council office and got a first aid kit out. She continued to fuss over her until Lucia laughed and gently pushed her back.

Melody finally sat across from her and gave her a look of deep concern.

"I don't understand… It is like you are two different people."

"I'm really not so complicated. Leave me alone and I'll leave you alone. Treat me respectfully and I'll do the same as long as you deserve. Simple things… Not complicated."

'But… This time Amber didn't start messing with you. You came hunting to help Ken… I think it's admirable that you care so much for him to defend him."

"… Caring for others is a waste." Lucia said.

Melody laughed a bit. "If you didn't at least care then you wouldn't have gotten so heated when Amber bullied him. And you wouldn't have cared that she made him cry. And can you imagine if no one cared about him? He'd be much worse off. He is lucky to have you even if you don't acknowledge it."

"… Humph." Lucia let the truth of the words sink in. She did consider him a friend. "To me he is like such a child. A true innocent despite how screwed up life is. I can't stand to see weak beings being picked on like that."

Melody smiled and closed her eyes. "And he loves you so much. He talks of you constantly. "

"… His smiles are precious to me. But I can't love him like he loves me."

"Well regardless you're a good friend. And that's why I'll back you up."

It wasn't pretty. The Principal was livid. But Melody backed her up and Nathaniel couldn't deny that the incident started because of the bullying of Ken. Both Iris and Ken came and backed her as well.

The end result was she got a week detention. How surprising. And Auntie had to come in.

But that was probably the best part. Instead of being angry at her like Amber's parents were… Auntie was angry at THEM.

"How dare you?!" She yelled. "You can call my niece a monster when it's her who is bleeding! Oh the nerve! So your spoiled little Princess got knocked down a peg or two? Since the fall and embarrassment didn't kill her all we can hope now is that she learned something from it!"

She stormed out after planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Well… I know she can get mad now at least…" Lucia commented mildly.

Ken laughed a little nervously. Iris sighed and put her head on Lucia's shoulder. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Laugh at my poor little stick figure that I'll be drawing for art class next. I'm feeling some orange afro hair on it."

Iris tried but she couldn't help laugh.

"Well as inconvenient as this whole business is. It is rather convenient." The Principal sighed as she shifted in a chair.

"Um… Makes no sense." Lucia muttered.

"Ken already did this. Would you like to be in basketball or gardening club?"

Now that rang a bell. Without thinking she said "Basketball… That was what-"

"Basketball it is."

"Huh? Wait a sec-"Lucia protested.

"Good choice if I do say so myself. Maybe it'll help you burn off all that extra energy." The principal beamed. "Dismissed."

Iris pulled a protesting Lucia from the room.

"Now that was a low trick."

"I'm in gardening… Do you think I could switch?" Ken brightened.

Lucia had a mental image of Ken being trampled by a bunch of basketballs. She sighed tiredly. "No don't bother Ken. Gardening suits you better."

"Hey, you're right!"

She went through the rest of classes and at the end of the day she hunted up Castiel.

"Hey little girl! Nice performance in the cafeteria! I really didn't know you had it in you." Castiel grinned. "And here I thought you were kidding when you said you'd get even with Amber."

Lucia glared at him. "I didn't do it for me… Oh never mind. Do you know where the basketball club is?"

"So my hint worked?" He smirked.

"Shush. Do you?" She glared playfully.

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't."

"Or maybe not?"

"Okay I know where it is. But what do I get for showing you Little Girl?" He chuckled good naturedly.

"The continued pleasure of my company?" She returned easy.

"That all? Alright don't glare at me like that…. Come on then."

End chapter two

* * *

Author Note: I'll speed my days up soon. I promise. After this chapter the "episodes" are going to be like a week. Cause I don't care who you are… Nobody goes through all this in a day. And if you do… I am so sorry for you.

My usual request for feedback and all that jazz. Until next time!

... Also does Lucia seem too... Agressive here? I've never wrote a character like her so... Ha, ha... I like her but I want to avoid a mary-sue naturally.


	3. Awakening attraction

Author note: Chapter three… Ah a miracle!

I would like to make clear some things. I have had a few people private message me and ask if Lucia is a demon… O_O…. I'd like to say she is a human. I know her eyes and hair are unique but that will be explained. It all ties together. Think of it as a quilt if you would. For now all you see are the threads being sewn together. But when I flip it over you will see what I hope is a beautifully pieced together work.

Next the "trigger" thing. To explain better on that… She does not change appearance. (It is not a Devil May Cry fanfiction after all and she is just a human.) The driving force behind her actions is her memory loss. Who she is now upon awakening is not the same person she was before she lost her memories.

When she has her memories back, if she ever does, she will end up changing in subtle ways. Because as she is now she is not her full self. She is missing key parts because she can't recall who she is. But she will also be growing in her new life with Auntie and I hope I can show her subtle growth clearly.

Finally I will be editing some things in chapter one. They aren't that big. The sapphire necklace will remain but its importance will be different. I find I want to go in a different path and I think it will fit nicely. Please bear with me and I promise the end result will be worth it.

As always I am more than willing to answer questions and I love hearing from readers be it through reviews or private messages!

Disclaimer: I forgot this in chapter two… I only own Lucia. MCL is an online game that is very addictive. And there is no money in a fan made story. (Drat…)

* * *

Chapter three

A week later and she wasn't being called "Little Girl" anymore. Now she was "Shooter." And she really hated basketball. The first day she had been bored to tears as the coach explained the rules to her.

The second day she had been forced to play. She was fast and could pass the ball well enough. Her agility and grace made her be able to keep the ball from the other team. That was all okay. But she couldn't shoot at all.

It didn't matter if she was close or far away. The hoop totally rejected her attempts. Her crowning moment was when she shot and it bounced off the rim and into her face. Castiel made sure she was okay which was sweet enough. It would have been better if he hadn't been cracking up the entire time.

"… I hate you." Lucia muttered crossly.

Castiel handed her the bag of ice and looked away from her swiftly.

"Stop laughing!" She snapped finally as she pressed it to her swollen face.

It had the opposite effect. He cracked up again. She couldn't say she really minded his laughter. It filled her senses and made her relax a bit more. She sighed as she reclined back against the bleachers. The club had ended and she had stayed behind to let Castiel play "doctor" on her.

The pain wasn't all that bad. It was more her pride that hurt. She felt like she should have been able to dodge the dumb thing. Something as simple as a ball was making her irritated. She hated basketball.

"Ah come on Shooter. It isn't that bad. It's just a bit swollen right now."

"If it bruises I'm going to smack a ball in your face and see how you feel."

"You can try. But since I'm bigger I think you'll find it's not so simple." Castiel chuckled.

Lucia dropped the bag from her cheek when it started to feel like a Popsicle. Castiel sat beside her and reached out with his hand. She tracked his movement and tensed. She couldn't explain why she did. But she always tensed when she felt like he was going to touch her. After that dream with her phantom toucher she was more aware of her body when Castiel was near.

He gently made contact with her swollen cheek. His fingers brushed over it before dropping to trace the curve of her jaw. It sent a shiver down her but she hid it. No way was she going to give him the satisfaction of knowing his touch affected her.

"Does it hurt?" He asked after a moment.

Lucia shrugged easily. "I think I'm more injured in my pride. It's not every day I make a fool of myself like that."

"Want me to kiss it and make it better?" He smirked.

Lucia gave him an amused look. "I don't think you can kiss someone's pride."

He hadn't meant for it to go beyond the usual. Lucia was a friend. He enjoyed the sarcasm that dripped from her words. She was a friend and nothing more. If their banter had a flirtatious edge to it then that was just their own similar thinking. It wasn't about making a move.

But when she said that he found himself looking at her lips. He started really thinking about kissing her. What it would feel like.

If Lucia was aware of his new and startling thought she didn't show it. She was glaring at something fiercely. He followed her gaze to the basketball hoop. He could see it in her eyes. She wanted revenge on a hoop of all things. He shook his head and stood again.

He snapped her from her concentration by ruffling her hair in his hand. Her eyes widened and she tried to knock his hand away. "Hey! Knock it off!" She snapped.

"Knock what off?" He grinned and overpowered her easily.

She held his hand away from her as he braced himself against the bleachers.

"Castiel I swear I'll-"

She stopped as he made a sudden lunge for her side. She jerked back and slipped a bit as she tried to stop him from making contact. She failed miserably and found him yanking her up and hefting her over his shoulder.

Lucia had to grab his shoulder to keep from falling over. She beat at his back with her fist. Suddenly his hand changed its purchase from her legs to her butt. She stiffened and snapped at him to let her go.

"What was that Shooter? You're the one who likes high places." He laughed.

"CASTIEL!" Lucia grabbed some of his hair and yanked.

"Hey now!" He snapped back. "Fine say please."

"I'll give you a bald spot." She growled.

Castiel laughed and he took her back to the bleachers. He moved her so she was standing on the first row. She had her hands rested on his shoulders and she smiled at him. She didn't seem to mind too much that his hands were against her thighs. Then again that might be because she considered him a friend.

"I win." She said suddenly. "Thanks Castiel, my pride feels much better now."

She looked so smug. It was the most relaxed he'd ever seen her. It was like nothing could ruffle her in that moment. And here he was being very conscious of the fact her skin was soft and firm. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on her slightly.

"Lucia…"

Lucia stopped smiling and looked deeply at Castiel. Very rarely did he ever call her by her actual name. She had learned to recognize that when he did he was either very angry or had something important to say. Or was making fun of her in a way he knew would annoy her.

His eyes held something different that she didn't recognize though. It sent a wave crashing over her. He looked positively animalistic. His eyes burned with something. She felt his fingers flex on her thighs before he brought them up to the curve of her hips. She watched him curiously and wondered what he was doing. His touch was so deliberate…

With a sudden yank he pulled her back to his level and had her in his arms. He was so rough about it that it suddenly clicked in her brain and made her blush. She didn't protest when he grabbed her chin and tilted her head back. Her eyes were wide as she watched him.

This was not her Castiel that she knew. This was a lustful beast and she didn't know if she liked it or not.

Before his lips made contact with hers a sharp gasp sliced into the moment. Lucia and Castiel turned to see Ken standing at the doors. Lucia moved away from Castiel and he let her slip through his fingers.

Ken was looking at her with such sorrow. "Hey Lucia… C-can I talk to you?"

"Sure… Of course Ken. Walk me home." Lucia sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "See you Castiel."

"Later…" He muttered.

When they were both gone from the gym Castiel went for a shower. What in the hell was wrong with him?

Lucia was a friend. And would never be more than that. He didn't like her as anything more. He admired her body, he could admit that but he wasn't the only one to want her under them. That geek she protected was one. But there were others. He saw the way some of his teammates eyed her as she moved.

But he wasn't going to lose her friendship over what would be a one night stand. He wasn't the relationship kind of guy anymore. Not since… He suddenly punched the wall before him before his brain could complete the thought.

Lucia was having as hard a time as him. She didn't think anything could make her feel like she had in that dream. But her skin was tingling where Castiel had held her almost painfully. She didn't love him. No way in hell. Love was stupid and it caused nothing but pain in the end. Someone was always left alone in love. She knew that with certainty. She grasped the sapphire necklace suddenly and without thought.

That dream or memory or whatever… Well if that was a memory… She really had to find out who that guy was.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" She asked Ken.

She needed a distraction…

"Well I wanted… To say goodbye… And give you this." From his bag he pulled out a stuffed bear with a heart t-shirt on.

She took it when he shoved it in her hands. Her brow furrowed as she looked at him in confusion.

"Wait… What are you talking about?" She asked.

He sniffed and she wondered if he was going to start crying again. She still wasn't sure really how to deal with tears. And she didn't like the wrenching feeling it caused her to see him in so much pain.

"My Dad pulled me from school. He heard about Amber and said no son of his was going to be bullied by a girl… Or let another girl fight his battles for him…"

She didn't need to be told that the second part was all her. Amber had taken great pleasure in running the rumor of her being a cruel person throughout the school. Lucia barely cared about that.

After all she had Iris, Melody, and Castiel on her side. But Amber hadn't come near her since. And as far as Lucia knew the blond had been leaving Ken alone too. Now she wasn't so sure however…

"Ken is she still bullying you?"

"NO! She just says things about how she'll get me when my guard dog isn't around. T-those are her words Lucia, not mine!" He said quickly.

"So she hasn't stopped messing with you… Ken stop it!"

He immediately stopped hopping on his feet. But his eyes still held the worry he'd insulted her.

"When do you leave?"

"… Tomorrow… I'll really, really, really miss you Lucia."

… Here was her proof love was useless. She cared for Ken as a friend. And it hurt he was leaving. But it was a bearable ache. She could live more days with just an ache. If she had returned the feelings he held so highly for her… She would not be a fool for love. Ever.

She never wanted to hurt as bad as Ken now was. Never again…

Again? She shook her head and sighed.

"Lucia I really do… Love you a lot."

"Ken…"

"No let me say this! All you see is that guy… That Castiel guy…"

Lucia crossed her arms. "I don't love Castiel." She muttered. "I don't love anyone."

"Well I'll come back… I'll come back a man and make you love me! I'm not going to cry anymore and rely on your strength. When I come back I'll have enough strength for you to lean on me instead. I promise!"

He suddenly grabbed her in a big hug. She was so surprised that she dropped the teddy he'd given to her. Everything in her told her to shove him away. She didn't want to be held in anyone's arms! Not so soon after her last upset.

Before she could push him roughly however he gave her a swift kiss. It was awkward and filled her with pity. The poor thing couldn't even kiss right… Before she could respond though he had let her go and was running away full speed.

"I'LL COME BACK A MAN FOR YOU!" He shouted over his shoulder.

Lucia watched him go and crossed her arms. What on earth had gotten into him?

She sighed and looked to the ground. She really should just leave the teddy. She had no real use for it. It would just be a useless item that collected dust and it had no practicality to it.

It had fallen onto a small patch of grass that had managed to break through the concrete. Face up. It looked so small and insignificant.

She scooped it up and held it up. A small bear to declare his love… It really was a stupid emotion…

Regardless of her thoughts she was unable to drop it back to the earth. It felt too close to abandonment. So it went on her desk when she got home. Every day she looked at it and was again split by two emotions. An urge to discard the thing and another to protect that fragile thing. She didn't even know what the fragile thing was.

School without Ken was… Quieter to put it lightly. She had collected another shy person to her somehow. A purple haired artist named Violette. She was so shy that Lucia immediately went to her aid when she saw her getting bullied near the gardens. She still didn't know why she was so violent. But she couldn't deny her instinct was to attack rather than take a peaceful road.

She and Nathaniel could finally nod at each other cordially in the halls at least. Or more like she winked and he heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes at her. And when she did step into the council room to see Melody she could chat lightly as long as she remained on neutral topics and avoided Amber talk all together. Melody was just glad they could be in the same room without the air cracking in tension.

She and Castiel had panned out. The almost kiss was never mentioned. It was as though it had never happened. Except she had become aware of him when he ran across the court during practice and he was aware of an urge to beat up the guys who flirted with her. He felt like that was his right only. And she disliked when the other female members of the club talked about him.

Both thought it was stupid emotion.

He blamed it on a growing need to get laid. She blamed the teenage hormones she had learned about in her health class.

Lucia was sitting with him on a bench in the courtyard doing her new favorite pastime. Ditching algebra class. Yes, she hated that class and the teacher and the text books and the numbers… Everything about it actually… mostly the numbers… And the equations… When would she ever have to know the exact measurements of a triangle?

"Oh yeah. Did you get everything worked out with that absentee note thing?" She asked sleepily.

Castiel looked over to her and blew out some smoke. He smoked occasionally she discovered. Iris said it was nasty but she didn't mind. The smoke didn't smell bad or anything and it was his choice in the end.

"How did you know about it?" He asked.

She gave him a droll stare. "You seriously have to ask? Do you know who our President is? I'll have to introduce you to him sometime."

"Very funny Miss Sarcastic." He glared at her.

"You love my sarcasm. Anyway I know because it should be personal information… So naturally the whole student body knows."

"Why am I not surprised?" He grinned.

"Cause you're too cool to be surprised." She teased.

He laughed out loud. "You finally understand!"

"Anyway… Hey isn't that a dog?" She asked and pointed.

He followed her finger and looked at the small thing. Oh terrific… The principal had lost her yappy mutt.

"Ah no. That is a cat." He said with a smirk.

"Oh… Wait, what?" She looked at him "… Oh, ha, ha. Not funny."

The little dog must have heard them because he looked up at them. Lucia had to admit it had a cute face. It looked like a fluffy pillow. Lucia had been nibbling a sandwich. She got down on her knees and held it out.

"Here puppy… C'mon it's a crummy cafeteria tuna sandwich, you know you want it…"

"You make it sound so appealing." Castiel rolled his eyes.

"It's a dog so I don't think it can understand me." Lucia retorted.

Castiel shrugged. "Anyway I've been meaning to ask you something."

The dog crept cautiously to her. When it was close enough to take the sandwich from her she pulled it to her and cradled it in her arms. It didn't yelp as she climbed back onto the bench and let it eat the food from her hand.

"Hey earth to shooter!"

"What? You wanted to feed it?" She asked.

"Yeah right! I hate yappy little dogs like that."

"And here I had you pegged as a dog person." She rolled her eyes.

"Bingo. But I don't like small ones. I actually have a Belgium Shepard."

Lucia made a small noise in the back of her throat as she read the collar.

She grinned suddenly. "Oh is its name Kiki too?"

"Actually the names Demon." Castiel grinned as she gave him a look of disbelief. "You scared?"

"Oh, petrified!" She laughed.

"Well that was what I had in mind. But he isn't mean."

"You named your dog with the thought of scaring me? I feel so secure in our friendship, really." She murmured.

Castiel pushed her gently. She laughed and smacked his hand away. "You know what I meant.' He said and ruffled her hair.

"Yes but if I don't take the hits I can't win." Lucia said with a small smile.

"You are insane." He muttered. "Anyway I wanted to ask you a question Shooter."

"Shoot." She said as she stroked Kiki.

"Are you anorexic or something?"

'What do you mean?"

Castiel recalled her memory loss then. She probably wouldn't remember if she had been.

"I'm asking if you have an eating issue. I've known you for a bit now. But you never eat at lunch and when you do get something from the vending machine you nibble it before giving it away or throwing it out."

Lucia thought about it. "No I don't think so. Auntie makes me eat before I leave the house. And she buys me this really good pudding that I really like eating. And lots of fruit. Grapes especially."

Castiel felt something relax inside of him. "So you do eat then? You just don't like junk food…"

"I don't like the school food. It tastes old… But I eat when I get hungry. Auntie says I just don't have much of a hunger impulse."

"KIKI!"

Lucia jumped at the shrill voice from around the corner. Castiel swore and quickly put out the cigarette and tossed it away from the bench. From around the corner came a very agitated Principal.

They were so busted…

But instead of being mad she grabbed the small dog and thanked them for capturing him for her.

"Um. Yeah sure… No problem. Glad to help… Really…" Lucia muttered.

Castiel jabbed her in the side as she rambled. They both watched as the Principal went on a rant about how the dog was always running around. With a name like Kiki though Lucia didn't blame the thing. It was a boy dog so of course that name didn't suit it. Though it fit better than Demon…

Suddenly she realized she and Castiel were alone again. She turned to see him reclining in the bench with his legs stretched in front of him. His arms were draped casually on the back.

"Did she really not comment on the fact we aren't in class?"

He shrugged and smiled. "Nothing surprises me about that lady and her dog anymore. She probably didn't even realize. And by the time she does it won't matter really. Detention isn't that big a deal."

"I always slept during mine…"

"Big surprise Shooter. You're always sleeping."

"Am not!"

"Yes you are. You sleep during class and a few times you've dosed off in lunch. Oh and lets not forget you hiding in the bleachers from the coach and you falling asleep."

"In my defense I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before that." It was true. That nightmare pain had flashed through her every time she tried to sleep. It was getting worse.

"Ah ha, the girl who sleeps every chance she gets didn't get enough sleep. Why does that make no sense?"

"Oh shut up."

Castiel lifted an arm to the shoulder she punched. "Ow." He said sarcastically.

Suddenly she yawned and stretched. "See you're about to sleep here!"

"Well you do look comfy." She joked. "Maybe I'll make you my new personal pillow. I don't think Iris minds when I sleep on her shoulder but I'm always worried if she moves I'll fall and die."

Castiel shook his head. "You make no sense Shooter. Anyway come on."

She watched as he stood. She cocked her head to the side. "Come where?"

"I'm leaving. It's not like anything important is going on today so there isn't any point in sticking around."

"You're such a delinquent." She laughed.

"Says the girl who hasn't been to a single algebra class since her first one." He returned and yanked her up.

"Oh fine, fine… And I've gone to it twice."

"It makes such a difference." He scoffed.

He took her to his apartment. As soon as he stepped through the door a massive dog leapt from the couch and went up on its hind legs. It placed massive paws on his chest.

Lucia had never seen such an expression on his face. He smiled widely and his eyes were filled with warmth. His whole demeanor was more relaxed than she'd seen. She was reminded of a kid at a candy store. He looked that happy.

While he pet the dog that she assumed was Demon she looked around. It had nice furniture but it was pretty bare. An electric guitar and case were set up in a corner with an amp. A TV sat up on a stand. A couch and a coffee table were a little away from it.

The kitchen wasn't far. Unlike in her apartment there didn't seem to be a table to sit and eat. It was pretty apparent to her that people weren't lying when they said Castiel lived alone.

… Mostly alone, she corrected when Demon finally turned to look at her. He growled a bit and she held his gaze. She wondered if she was about to get attacked. But the dog just sniffed her hand before barking. Suddenly he lunged and nearly knocked her to the floor. He clawed at her to try and get her low enough to lick.

"Shoot!" She cursed as she stumbled into the wall at an odd angle.

"Demon get down!" Castiel suddenly ordered.

Demon sat back on his haunches and then ran back to a bed that was beside the couch. He returned with a rope thing. He sat down and dropped it before her. He seemed so proud of himself as he picked it back up before tossing it into the air and catching it.

Lucia had no idea what the dog was doing.

"He wants you to play tug of war with him." Castiel came to the rescue. "Want a soda?"

"Sure, thanks."

Lucia reached down and grasped the toy. She was prepared to jump away if the dog started to attack. When he growled she dropped the toy and looked at Castiel. He was laughing at her as Demon nudged her reproachfully.

"I am not taking that toy from him. He sounds like he'll kill me if I do." Lucia said with a small glare. "I like breathing."

"You obviously haven't had much contact with dogs. C'mere Demon." Castiel snapped his fingers after he set two cans of coke on the table.

Demon took the toy over to his master. As soon as Castiel took an end of the toy the dog lowered itself and began pulling. It snarled violently as it shook its massive head around to try and jerk it from Castiel. She couldn't help but admire the muscles that bulged from his shoulders as he played with the dog.

"See Shooter? It's just how he plays." Castiel told her.

Lucia snapped her eyes up to look at him. She felt embarrassed to have been caught staring at him. He had removed his jacket and she could see just how fit he really was.

Normally she saw him with the jacket on. Or in his team uniform but that was a loose shirt that hid the muscles of his chest.

"Cop a seat Shooter." Castiel told her.

She went around the table and sat beside him. She crossed her legs. Demon dropped the toy and launched over Castiel as soon as he saw the chance. Lucia found her arms full of dog and her face under attack. The wet tongue rasped over her cheek as she pushed herself into the couch to try and avoid it.

Castiel laughed as he watched the scene before him. Lucia was laughing even as she tried vainly to push Demon from her. It went through him. Normally she laughed, yeah. But he felt like this time her guard was completely down and she was perfectly at ease even with Demon so close. As for Demon his tail was waging a mile a minute as he went on his licking spree.

"Castiel seriously!" She finally yelled at him.

Castiel laughed again. "Enough Demon."

The dog leaped from the couch and retreated over to an armchair that looked chewed up. It was very obviously his spot. A ball and a chewed up Frisbee were on it.

Lucia sat back up and wiped her cheek clean with her sleeve. "Ew I'm covered in slobber!"

"Hey it means he likes you Shooter." He responded easily, completely at ease in his home.

With some ease they talked together. Neither was fully comfortable though. They were both aware of the fact they were alone together. And that there was a bed in the other room. That they were on a comfy enough couch. Both were aware of the marked differences in their words from how they were at school.

It was a fine line they both walked in their minds. The need to stay in a safe and friendly zone with each other. A zone that they knew how to navigate. They kept flirting together and pushing each other around. It was normal for them. But now was the distinct knowledge they were trying to push the other to break first.

Both weren't dumb enough to think their lust equaled love. Both would never fall in love. Castiel had been colored skeptical of the very word. Lucia knew that somewhere in her past she'd been crushed by that emotion and was determined to never be so again.

Castiel just knew it had been awhile since he'd been intimate with a girl. And Lucia knew that she liked the sensations he caused and wondered if there was more.

When he found himself staring at her lips again and her at his hands he suggested they go for a walk. She quickly agreed and they took Demon. The dog was more than eager and hardly aware of the undercurrent between his Master and the girl he'd brought home.

Castiel let her hold the leash for a moment. Demon sensed the new laxity in the hold but for a moment he ignored it. He was a well trained and good boy after all. It was going great until he saw the cat. Then he growled fiercely and Lucia could detect the difference in his playful growl and the real snarl. Before Castiel could take the leash however the dog lunged.

Lucia wasn't prepared for it. She held on for a moment and found herself being dragged as the dog tried to jerk away, snarling and barking with every inch he achieved. After a particular violent tug she stumbled and would have face planted if Castiel hadn't grabbed both her and the leash in his strong grip.

"DEMON DROP!" He snapped.

The Dog paused in mid lunge and then dropped low to the ground, his belly pushed into the ground. He whined and his tail wagged in apology.

"Stay still." Castiel ordered with a sigh. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Well that was an interesting trip. He about tore my arm out of my socket."

"Sorry about that. He normally isn't so aggressive but him and cats don't get along."

"I held on." Lucia shrugged. "Really though? He hates cats just like his owner."

"Yeah he does. Probably more than me actually."

They went back to the apartment. Demon curled up on her lap as she sat down to rest her sore arms. She absently caressed his ears in her hand. Castiel put in some movie about a house filled with ghosts that said house had eaten. She didn't find it scary. In fact she and Castiel had a grand time picking out the bad special affects and little oddities that appeared.

He gave her a look when she pointed out the fact that a music box had moved to complete different sides between shots. He couldn't believe she had caught something so small.

During the last hour she found her eyes growing heavy. She had no energy left it seemed. She found that she had cuddled against Castiel. Her head was against his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind. His arm had come around her shoulder.

She didn't want to sleep though. The dreams were there in the dark. They had been chasing her sleep for the past few nights.

"_I'm so sorry that I exist." She murmured._

"_Ah…" _

_She could make out the face this time. It was not her phantom lover. It was the man with the sad eyes. The one she had hurt so badly somehow. She knew she had hurt him; she had done something so terrible. _

"_It would have been so much better if I'd never been born. Then none of this would have happened. He wouldn't have done what he did. And I… I'm a monster just like you said before. I can't be allowed… If my control is so bad…"_

"… _So you… Do understand then why I…" He murmured._

_His hand reached out to touch her. Before he made contact she flinched away. She pushed herself against the wall and curled in on herself both mentally and physically. _

"_Lucia…" He dropped his hand. "Why don't you try to run? You don't even struggle when the others are rough with you…"_

"_There isn't any point. He was all… And I don't have anything left to run for. Even if I did I can't keep it up forever. I'm not that strong. I can do a little sure but… Not enough to stay alive. And if I ever… Did something again then I…"_

"_Lucia…" _

"_I hate myself so much anymore… I really, truly, regret even living."_

"… _Ah…"_

_He left her alone. _

_She heard his voice right outside her door however. He talked to someone. This new man had a voice of ice. As though he didn't know how to be anything but cold and cruel._

"_You can't be regretting what you did now son." _

"_No…"_

"_She is a menace. Her kind isn't meant to be alive. It's mercy to put them down like this." The voice sent a chill down her. She feared that voice so badly…_

"_But she isn't… the reason she did what she did… We were the cause of her recent actions…" _

"_So you want to just let her go? Can you forgive what she took from us all, especially you?!" _

_The sound of fading foot steps. She thought they were both gone. Then she heard a sigh that wrenched her apart. _

"_Lucia… Just be a monster… So I can understand again."_

It was very warm… She moaned a bit and snuggled closer to the source of it. It was like being held in a warm bubble. The weight of it had settled around her stomach.

Sleepily she opened her eyes a bit. She could slightly make out another body. Messy red hair… Instead of seeing Castiel she saw the bleary outline of someone else. With a small sigh she snuggled even closer and her eyes drifted shut again.

End chapter three

Author note: So, finished for now. This chapter was more me wanting to show the growth between Castiel and Lucia. I am currently waiting to gather up enough AP to go through episode 5 in one full swoop.

Also I wanted to soften her up a bit. Like with Ken. She wants to reject him but she isn't cruel to the core and therefore she can't ignore him. I also kept Amber out of this chapter because when they meet… Bad things happen. So let's just think that Amber is on vacation.

Don't worry she will still be confrontational and emotionally unstable about certain things.

Now a question for anyone who wants to be super nice. The way I have her regaining her memories, with the dreams and random sentences in her head… Is it too confusing? Or does that make the story better to do it like that?

I like to think of it like she is trying to fit together a puzzle but she doesn't have all the pieces so it can't be finished. And eventually she will be on the active chase for her memories…

Also I am thinking on renaming this "Awakening" since I can't seem to stop naming my chapters that... I'd adore some feedback on the name.

Well as always I hope you enjoyed and… Be kind and leave a review of whether you liked or hated it!


	4. Harem of friends

Author note: Well chapter four is here! Goodness I feel like I'm on a real roll with this!

Cookie: So I'm going to take that as a compliment. Thank you so very much!

Elise1999: I missed you last chappie. Sorry about that. But thank you for answering my questions. I hope you enjoy!

Guest: Well I hope you like this chapter.

Monkeybread: Here it is and enjoy!

Sweetmemories: Well here it is and I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Only thing I own is Lucia.

* * *

Chapter four

"_Hey Lucia? You still can't just let go can you?"_

"_I suppose…"_

_He laughed suddenly. "How pathetic!"_

_Lucia turned and glared. As always she couldn't see who the phantom was but she knew the voice. _

_It bounced between amusement, sarcasm, and anger. Every now and again it was tender. Once she vaguely recalled it terrified. He had been screaming, furious over something. And so scared when he addressed her. _

_They were in a room that was vaguely familiar to her. It had many different jars of things on a shelf. She knew instinctively that those jars were not to be touched. A single double bed was pushed up against the wall furthest from the door. She knew that her spot was by the wall. He insisted on sleeping closest to the door. _

_He felt safe here. Here he could sleep in peace. _

_All at once the scene changed. She was alone in the cabin and had just woken up. She felt groggy and disoriented. The door opened and he walked in. When he saw her he froze. Then he was on her. His hands were holding her face and he was… Crying? She couldn't see his face but she felt the wetness of the tears against her own hand that she lifted to his cheek. _

"_I can't believe it. You're back! I thought you'd never wake up! Everyone said that it was useless and I should worry about myself but… Damn it Lucia I was so worried!" _

"_You didn't leave me behind…" She murmured. _

_He shook his head and sighed against her. Her arms had wrapped around him and were clutching him just as tightly. _

"_I couldn't… I just couldn't leave you behind. I thought about it… I almost did. But it…" He sighed and grabbed her into a rough kiss. "From now on Lucia…"_

_Before the sentence finished the scene evaporated again… _

She parted her eyes again and found herself alone in a bed. It was very unfamiliar. And she wasn't as alone as she thought. Demon was curled atop her side, his massive head on her stomach.

As soon as she shifted he moved as well, and barked. She heard the door open and Castiel came into view. She looked him over. He was wearing a pair of sweat pants that hung low on his hips and his chest was bare for her eyes. He really was very well muscled.

She blushed when she recalled the times she'd woken up in the night. She had been wrapped in his arms. But she had been too comfortable and tired to pull away. It had been nice. She recalled some dreams but none of them had been scary as they normally were. They had been pleasant despite the confusion she felt. There wasn't enough for her to know anything.

She had to know who that guy with black hair was. She had cared very deeply for him. And it seemed he had cared for her too in a way. He certainly must have felt something.

What had happened to her? Where was he? Did they argue and separate? Did she get separated against her will?

She couldn't reconcile that mostly happy girl she was with him to the broken, miserable one she became. And Lucia had had enough. She had to know who she really was!

"You know if you want to keep staring maybe I should leave you alone with a picture." Castiel said.

Lucia glared at him as he broke her concentration.

"Really Shooter I'm flattered. I had no idea you cared so much." Castiel grinned. "If you wanted a piece all you had to do was ask."

"In your dreams." Lucia muttered before getting off the bed. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep on me so I brought you in here. I figured it would be more comfortable."

She followed him to the kitchen. He had a container of grapes and toast on the table.

"I didn't figure you for a fruit eater." She commented.

"I'm not actually. I just figured you wouldn't eat what I do have. I mostly eat out or eat junk food."

"So you went out and bought these?" She sent him a look.

Before she could thank him he had blushed and looked away.

"Yeah, well I don't need you to starve on me. I'm going to hop in the shower and then you can have one. Some of my old clothes might fit you."

He vanished into a room before she could comment. She smiled a bit and nibbled a grape. He was being… Sweet. It was definitely a word she'd never thought she'd put with Castiel.

Then again… She shrugged and fed the toast To Demon. The dog licked her hand after he devoured it and she smiled. "You can't eat grapes boy. Besides you're probably like your owner. You probably only eat junk food and bread."

She couldn't help but feel a little saddened by the thought. Even if she hated it Auntie always made her eat food she had cooked. After a week Lucia ate dinner with her Aunt simply because she didn't want to seem ungrateful.

But Castiel didn't have a relative to sit there and keep him from starving. Or a relative to yell at him for oversleeping. She had heard from Melody that Castiel had both parents but lived alone. She didn't understand why he wouldn't live with his parents.

She respected independency. But she also had to admit it was nice coming home to someone.

When he got out her mind was swirling in sympathetic thoughts. "Castiel where are your parents?"

"Huh? Oh, they travel a lot for work."

She turned to face him. And wished she hadn't.

"What the hell!? Where are your clothes?!" She snapped as her face flushed redder than he'd ever seen.

"What are you screaming about? You're the one who stopped me from going into my room with questions!"

Castiel crossed his arms. The towel he wore slipped a bit with the action.

"Hey hold the towel! You don't have enough hip to support it from falling!" She groaned in embarrassment.

"Ah ha, you're paying attention to my hips? I've heard a lot of lines but that is new. Most girls go for the "Oh Castiel you have such a big-"He imitated a girl voice but she cut him off.

"Would you get you're head out of the gutters!?"

"Hey, I was going to say muscles! I think it's you that needs to get their mind out of gutters, Shooter!"

He was laughing at her. "Jeez Shooter! This is as flustered as I've ever seen you! What happened to that I-notice-nothing-unless-I-feel-like-it attitude?"

"Just go put some clothes on." She grumbled with her head in her hands.

"You know I don't think I will just yet. This is too fun. Wanna see some more?" He asked sarcastically.

"Seriously!" She snapped.

"Ha, ha, why should I?"

"Because it… it's indecent to be practically naked!"

"In my own place?" He rolled his eyes and chuckled again. "Anyway if this is the reaction I'll get maybe I should just be this "indecent" all the time!"

He laughed and she heard his footsteps. Before he could grab her she was up out of the chair. She was still blushing but her eyes now tracked his every movement. They stood there like that for a few minutes. Then he chuckled and went to his room. She didn't un-tense until she heard the door shut.

She collapsed on the couch and buried her face into Demon's fur. The dog had curiously watched his Master and the new girl. He didn't really understand humans. But he gave the girl a small lick anyway to comfort her since she seemed distressed.

"He wants to kill me." She mumbled. "He wants me to die, I just no it."

"You overreact to the littlest things." He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

He held some old clothes in his hands. At least this time he was dressed. She took the clothes and punched him in the shoulder as hard as she called. Before he could react she had scurried down the hall and into the bathroom. He rubbed the spot and sat down.

He turned the TV on and leaned back. Demon put his massive head in his lap and wagged his tail contentedly when Castiel rubbed his ears.

Castiel wasn't used to having people over. He was used to it being just him and Demon. Lysander was different. The silver haired boy would spend the night occasionally, most often when Rosalya and Leigh were fighting or being very loud.

Girls that he messed with never spent the night. He didn't feel like dealing with getting rid of them in the morning. And if he could he went to the girls place anyway to avoid the awkward talk about what they were.

Lucia though… She was a buddy. It went no further than that.

Lucia sighed as she showered with Castiel's things. The soap smelled nice though she supposed. But it wasn't the normal vanilla she bathed with. When she got out she dried herself with a towel and looked herself over. When her hair was wet it curled tightly. It wasn't a look she cared for and she knew Castiel would tease her mercilessly for it.

She sighed and put on the shirt he'd given her. Then she pulled on the jeans. Due to her smaller stature and body the clothes hung from her. She irritatedly pulled the jeans off since they wouldn't stay up and pulled her own shorts back on. Lucia figured that wearing them again wouldn't be too bad since she hadn't sweated or anything. The shirt was comfy though so she kept it on.

Castiel in fact did not tease her about her hair. He was too busy looking at her and regretting he'd given her a shirt. She looked too good with it. It hung low on her, making her look like she wore a dress. It sent a shock jolting through his body and made him more aware of the fact she was indeed a woman. And he hadn't been active in the bedroom for a good few months.

Just a friend, just a friend, just a friend… Can't she be a friend with awesome benefits?

Probably because if he asked she might try and punch him into the sky. He had witnessed her hurl Amber over a table so he wasn't keen to tick her off too bad. She couldn't hurt him of course, he was bigger and sturdier but he didn't really want her to try either. She was probably like Rosalya. He had witnessed that girl pick up a knife and go after Leigh. With his luck Lucia would pick up a chainsaw.

"You look good. Anyway do you want to hang today? I'll introduce you to some friends of mine." He commented with a smile.

"Are you recruiting me for your harem of buddies or something?"

"Where do you come up with these things?" He grimaced. "Sure we can go with that. Just don't fight over me with my head harem member."

"Oh, ha, ha. I'm sure I'll restrain myself."

He walked Demon quickly and then took her down to his motorcycle. He loved the thing so much. His parents had given it to him as a guilt present and then gave him money to modify it for top speed. In fact he didn't live all that badly considering. His parents put money for bills in an account and then more than enough for food and whatever else he wanted.

He handed Lucia the helmet and she put it on before taking his hand to get behind him. Her thighs tightened around him as she put her hands on his sides. Before he could follow his bodies demand to jump off the bike and hit it like he was a caveman he started it up and moved into the traffic.

He went way above the speed limit. He was very happy when instead of shrieking she laughed. He took a corner a bit too sharply but she held on.

All too soon the ride was over and he parked in front of the clothing store. She climbed off and he helped take her helmet off. Her eyes were sparkling in enjoyment, her face flushed. He recalled that Deborah had hated his bike because it messed her hair up.

Lucia didn't even seem to care about it. She was smiling and waiting patiently for him to tell her where they were going. She seemed genuinely okay with being led as long as he asked instead of told. She had so many sides of her.

For the most part she was calm and flirty. She smiled or laughed easily. Then with her geek she became vaguely mothering, as though she didn't know how else to handle his tears. When you pushed her too far she could become extremely violent. He was glad he'd never ticked her off that bad yet. He found every side of her entertaining though. In the end it didn't matter which was the real her before she'd lost her past. He figured she couldn't have been too different.

Deborah had been sweet and independent. Everybody had liked her. But she chose him. She wasn't like Lucia. Lucia was like a diamond, with different sides that shone out brilliantly to create a beautiful gem. Deborah had been a flower. Nothing dangerous or unknown. It had been safe to love her.

"Let's go." He grabbed her hand roughly and pulled her into the store.

"Yo Lys!"

"Oh, Lys baby! It's Castiel! And… Oh my if it isn't wild girl!"

Lucia looked at the girl who sat on top of the counter. She had a darker skin complexion than she was used to seeing and long bleached out hair. And very apparent assets. Lucia felt like the cutting board Castiel always called her in that moment.

She hopped from the counter and ran forward. Lucia would have pulled away but Castiel still had her hand. So she couldn't dodge the hug. He let her go as two other men came from the backroom. The girl continued to hold her tightly.

Lucia was very stiff in her arms. She wasn't a hugger. Or to be more correct she wasn't comfortable with much physical contact unless she knew the person well. Like Castiel or Iris. Melody and Violette too but so far Melody seemed too proper for affectionate gestures and Violette contented herself with simply a quick hug or grabbing her arm. She wasn't used to long drawn out hugs.

"Oh dear. It would be best for you to hug her back. She won't release you until you do." The voice was way cultured.

Lucia stiffly pat the girl on the back. When the girl released her she stepped back and crossed her arms. She eyed the pretty girl and then turned her look to the two men. One was the familiar shop owner. The other she had seen around Castiel at lunch and occasionally in the halls.

"Sorry about that! I just had to give you a hug for putting Amber in her place!"

"Huh? Oh, the fight…"

"Yes the fight! You were superb!"

"Ah thanks I guess." She glanced to Castiel who was chatting with a boy with silver hair and the shop owner.

Rosalya beamed at the girl. She had seen the way Castiel had been holding her hand and how the girls' eyes had sought hum out. And she smelled like Castiel and was even wearing his clothes. So this was the reason Castiel had blown them off yesterday.

"Well anyway I'm Rosalya! And this is my boyfriend Leigh and his brother Lysander."

The two boys' nodded hello to her and Castiel asked with a smirk. "So can you stop yourself from fighting with my lead harem man?"

He looped an arm around Lysander who looked at him with great confusion. "Excuse me?"

Lucia was glaring at Castiel fiercely. "Oh you are an idiot."

"Amusing as this is I'm going to get back to work. Don't mess up the shop or get into too much trouble."

"Aw but Leigh! All you ever do is work! Come with us for a bit!" Rosalya clung to his arm and he smiled indulgently at her.

"I'll take you out later I promise. But there is a new shipment that I need to finalize."

Rosalya pouted and went back to Lucia. She grabbed the girls arm and hung from her. Lucia didn't know really what to do. She was tensed again and wary. She wasn't used to a whole lot of physical contact that wasn't initiated by her.

Castiel must have noticed her issue because he came and pulled her from Rosalya. "Hey don't go scaring her off just yet. I haven't fully made her a member of my harem!"

Lucia rolled her eyes. "Will you ever let that go?"

"Why should I Shooter?"

"Cause otherwise I'll make you lose your baby maker."

"You'd miss it too much if you did that." He teased.

Rosalya squealed as Lysander eyed her up and down for the first time. Lucia felt very naked under the mix matched eyes. A part of her wanted to smack him into a rack of clothes. But his eyes didn't seem judgmental or anything. They seemed mildly curious but not prying so she swallowed her urge with some difficulty.

"In your dreams. It's kind of hard to miss something I've never had."

"So you admit you're curious." He smirked.

"Ugh you are such a freaking perv." Lucia crossed her arms and tried to ignore the fact that she was pressed against the sculpted abs of his chest.

"You love my perv nature." He returned and made her smirk.

Rosalya looked very calculating. Her grin could only be called devious. Lysander noticed it and sighed. It was very like Rosalya to get in others business. She was a queen meddler. It didn't help since she'd been curious to get to know Lucia since the fight.

"Anyway we were thinking of going to the mall. Well Cas? And Lucia you have to come too! I won't take no for an answer!" Rosalya said with a grin.

"Yeah, sure sounds good." Castiel shrugged and shifted so Lucia was under his arm.

Lucia smiled a bit and nodded. Rosalya beamed even more. It was decided that they would take Lysander's car. Lucia sat in the back with Rosalya, who went on and on. She used her hand a lot to talk and touched Lucia casually on the arm a lot. But Lucia stopped tensing and being aware of it. She had decided that if Castiel trusted them then it had to be okay.

About twenty minutes into the car ride she had Lucia laughing. The girl was waving her hands madly and doing a freakily good impression of Amber. Castiel was shaking his head and smirking while Lysander tried to stop the smile tugging his lips. In the end he gave up and chuckled a bit.

Lucia discovered that Castiel and Lysander were in a band together. And that Lysander had a tattoo. That resulted in Rosalya begging to see it. Lucia simply shook her head when the girl tried to drag her into the argument. It was interesting. Rosalya had a bit of a childish side but she was bright like sunshine. Lysander however spoke softly and like he was distracted. He was calm, like a port in a storm maybe… Her metaphors really sucked.

Finally Lysander turned the radio on. Lucia smiled as Rosalya grabbed her arm and buried her head in her arm. It was cute. Rosalya pouted for a bit but it didn't seem to be in her to stay upset for long. Soon she was waving her arms in the air and singing off key too the radio.

Lucia was staring at her wide eyes as Lysander grimaced.

"Damn Lys! I figured by now you'd have given her lessons!" Castiel joked,

Lysander smiled gently. "This is the result of lessons. She no longer sound like a banshee."

"Can't be calling her a siren though either." Castiel smirked as Rosalya smacked him in the back of the head.

"Lys baby… I'll get you when you aren't driving." The bubbly girl promised.

Once they reached the mall Rosalya was declaring that Lucia was her wife. And that Castiel better back off and Lysander had better not get any ideas. It was harmless enough so Lucia simply smiled through it and even responded to being called wife. They went inside and Lucia was immediately yanked around by Rosalya. "We'll be going shopping. Let's meet up in the food court in two hours Okay?" Before the boys could respond Rosalya yanked Lucia away and left them alone.

"Well she seems to have taken a shine to your new friend." Lysander commented.

"I'll say. How about you?"

"She seems nice."

Castiel nodded a bit. He knew that was all he would get out of Lysander. But it was probably a very good thing. It meant that he found Lucia okay to hang out with. If he didn't he would have simply raised a brow at Castiel.

"Well since we've been dumped at the mall I say we go see what we can find at the music stores."

"Mmhmm."

Lucia was watching as Rosalya was flitting through racks at top speed. Every now and then she'd toss things at Lucia who soon found a massive pile in her arms. Many other people were looking. Especially when she protested being shoved into the changing rooms.

"Now wife these things will look good on you! Just trust in me okay?"

Lucia sighed and dropped the mountain on the small seat in the room. She had a suspicion Rosalya wouldn't leave her alone if she didn't try them on. She shifted through them and picked out some things she thought wouldn't be too bad. She had found that she preferred clothes she could move in but showed off her skin.

Finally she pulled herself into a pair of black shorties and a red shimmering napkin top.

She walked out and asked Rosalya to tie it behind her neck and mid-back.

"Oh my god. Buy it, now. You look amazing! In fact buy it and once we find the perfect shoes you are wearing that. Castiel will die!"

Lucia rolled her eyes. In the end the two bought about six bags worth of stuff. Rosalya found clothes that she knew Lucia wouldn't mind. In the end Lucia was thankful Auntie had given her a credit card because Rosalya didn't go cheap.

After they bought a bunch of shoes and Lucia wondered just what she had gotten into with her "wife." Rosalya dragged her to a restroom and picked out an outfit for her to change into. It was the red shimmering napkin top, black shorties, and a pair of red Victorian fashioned boots that came to below her knee. She was thankful she could balance well.

Rosalya had changed too. She wore a napkin top as well but hers was black and white. She paired it with a white mini skirt and black Victorian boots. They tied the knots for each other and went on their way. Lucia had to admit shopping with Rosalya was fun. She didn't really care to shop for herself. But she could trust Rosalya to shop for her and not make her look like an old granny or a prep. And Rosalya seemed to love that Lucia was so lax about it. She loved being able to dress people up.

They were now wandering around for the exit. They wanted to put their bags in the car before they met up with the boys. Lysander seemed to have a bad habit of locking his car. They put their bags in the trunk before locking all the doors.

They finally made their way to the food courts about forty-five minutes late. Castiel was preparing to snap at them until he caught a look of Lucia. He eyed her up and down before smirking.

"You two look lovely." Lysander said politely.

"Matching tops. You guys are so adorable!" Castiel laughed as he smirked.

"Well were newly weds after all!" Rosalya smiled. "These things are still cute to us right Wife?"

"If my wife says so it must be true." Lucia rolled her eyes and smirked.

"So have you decided when to tell Leigh you eloped?" Castiel grinned.

"Oh he won't mind. He'll like Lucia because she can model the slimmer clothes that I can't. We'll be one big happy family!"

"So I'm slave labor then!" Lucia remarked with a grin.

"You'll love the rewards." Rosalya playfully waggled her brows.

After some more teasing around they ordered a pizza. Lucia tried to avoid eating it because it looked way too garlicy but Castiel told her sternly he'd shove it down her throat if she didn't eat. And then proceeded to tell both Rosalya and Lysander that all she'd eaten today so far was some grapes. Needless to say even Lysander took his side on her eating. So she ate two slices to shut him up but took great pleasure in tossing the peppers and anchovies at him.

When he actually caught one and ate it with a devilish smirk she knew she was in trouble. Before she could lunge away he grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap. She tried to jerk away but he had a hand on her hips to prevent her from leaping up. When she pulled a fist back to punch him he laughed and caught both her hands in one of his.

"Well Shooter? Now what you gonna do?" He teased.

She wriggled about a bit but his hold on her was iron. Finally she turned to see Rosalya FILMING it! Of all the things to be doing. Lysander seemed to looking at them with some interest and a small smile.

"Really Rosalya? And here I thought you were my wife!" Lucia finally said after a moment of more futile struggling.

"I am. Aren't we making so many fun filled memories together?" How the white haired woman could keep a straight face through that and sound so truthful was beyond Lucia.

"Come on Lysander! He is mistreating me here. Doesn't that go against your whole gentlemanly code?"

Lysander cocked a brow at her and smiled pleasantly. "Normally I'd say yes but… You were throwing pizza toppings on him."

"Oh come on! A few anchovies here and there." She laughed despite herself.

Normally she felt like she'd be freaking out. But this was the second time Castiel had proven his strength over her and she didn't really mind. Lucia supposed she felt safe to him. Bu if it had been Lysander doing this… The image didn't match at all…. If it was anyone she didn't know and trust she'd be in full blown rage mode by now though.

"Just you and me Shooter. How are you going to get out of this?"

"I have to pee." She said seriously.

"Oh please, come up with another one." Castiel scoffed.

"Just let me go you tomato sauce head!"

"Again with the insults. They just make me want to keep you here longer."

He leaned back and she suddenly leaned forward. The combined movement caused the chair to totter. His eyes widened and he wrapped his arms around her tightly to hold her close to his chest as the chair tipped backwards. It crashed loudly and she lay there stunned against him for a moment. The noise froze her for some reason. It had sounded like a gun or something.

Then she was all action in the suddenly silent area.

"Are you alright Castiel?" She asked.

His eyes were closed and he didn't have on his normal smirk. Her heart had already been doing overtime but now it throbbed painfully. Was he knocked out? She gently placed a hand on his forehead and Rosalya caught the worried and scared look that crossed Lucia's face on camera.

Lysander had leaned down to look at his friend. He sighed when he saw the red hand twitch his hand and bring it suddenly to the small of Lucia's back. With a small gasp she found herself on her back. The girl had wide eyes as Castiel had his hips between hers and his hands were on either side of her face.

"Now I like this position even better." He smirked.

Lucia blushed as she realized the way it looked. They were in a mall for crying out loud! But she didn't back down.

"Oh I bet you dream of this. Me under you. But I really hope you can come up with a better place to act out your fantasy than the cold tile floor!" She smirked.

Lysander and Rosalya exchanged looks. It was obvious to the both of them that something was boiling between Castiel and Lucia. Rosalya smirked as she kept filming with her camera. Oh, the sweet smell of playful blackmail hung in the horizon. She wondered if she edited it if she could sell some bits of Castiel and Lucia. Separately of course because together they looked like a couple.

"Maybe since you don't seem to really have an issue with it I should just…"

Castiel caressed her cheek and she recognized the flare of that lustful beast again. Only unlike in the gym there was an answering back wave from her. Her eyes darkened and her mouth parted. He bent his head a bit and she sighed when he moved his hand to gently mess with her lips. He brought his thumb down the middle of her lips before dragging his palm down her sides and to her ribcage. Her breath caught when his lips were just an inch away from hers.

Rosalya and Lysander were silent, thinking they were about to see the transition from friend to lover. It would be a turning point. They both liked Lucia enough and thought the girl would be good for Castiel. They knew about her missing memories from him but that was nothing to them. If it didn't bother Castiel it didn't bother them.

Rosalya had never liked Deborah. She believed no one could be that sweet and kind. And when that whole Nathaniel scandal came out she really disliked her. As for Lysander he hadn't known Castiel when he was with Deborah but he knew the aftermath of her leaving him. A string of girls and then nothing.

Castiel didn't hear any of his brains objections. His body was in complete control of the situation at hand. He wanted Lucia. He would worry about the consequences later. But in that very moment it seemed very appropriate to put his seal on her. To mark her as his and to make sure everyone knew it. He studied the face that controlled him and groaned a bit.

Lucia seemed to want it as bad as he did. Her whole body language screamed to be claimed. Her eyes were drifted partially closed and it burned him. He was tired of denying himself and her. They both wanted it.

He cupped her cheek and prepared to claim what was his… Then he felt a cold thing slither over his back and a bit of his face.

End chapter four:

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Author note: *hiding behind glass bullet proof.* Yes I did just do that. I dumped a slushy on Castiel. Even though I must now hide from Castiel it was worth it. Three guesses who did it? I'll see you all next time!... Now you review and I'll stop torturing you all about the kiss scene. See ya!

By the way some people call those tops napkin tops, others handkerchief tops so if you want to know kind of what they are… Well I mostly wear them to a frat party or something. They cute though!


	5. Secrets

Author note: Well chapter five is here!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Cookiemonster: Not so much enjoy torturing you. I hope this chapter is better for you.

Tiffany: Two reviews, I feel lucky! Here is more, I hope you enjoy!

Sweetmemories: I think I have something in this chapter that'll make you happy.

Whitewolfy: You guessed it! *cyber cookie for you*

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Chapter five

Amber had just wanted an escape from school. She had dragged her friends to the mall. She had also managed to collect Nathaniel and Melody who had been forced to drive them. That was okay. It was good to have a man to carry the bags. Except Nathaniel had vanished with his little girlfriend as soon as they all got out of the car.

Amber had shrugged it off. She had decided that nothing could upset her today. Until she saw Castiel hanging out with Lucia. And she was wearing something like his shirt. Amber had stared so hard it could have burned a hole through the freak girl. Lee had eventually dragged her away. She relaxed a bit when Lucia separated from Castiel to shop with Rosalya.

After a hard day of shopping she and her girls had retired to the food court and met up with Nathaniel and Melody, who were both blushing a bit. She was having a grand time gossiping with Charlotte and Lee. Then a small commotion at a far table caught their attention,

Castiel had pulled a struggling Lucia onto his lap and wouldn't let her go. Rosalya was laughing and recording it as that Lysander chuckled a bit. Amber was breathing heavy. The guy she had been in love with was definitely flirting with the freak of Sweet Amoris.

"Amber… Just let it be." Nathaniel cautioned her.

Amber rounded on him to yell but she quickly turned back when she heard the loud crack. Castiel was under Lucia, the chair they'd been in had tipped back. Lucia was trying to rouse him. The noise had caused Nathaniel and Melody to spring up. They were heading over to see if he was alright. Amber and her two companions followed as well.

Nathaniel stopped when Castiel suddenly flipped Lucia over.

"Oh my…" Melody commented with a worried look to Amber.

Amber saw the way Castiel looked. It was a look she had always wanted turned on her. But instead it was going to that bitch. When Castiel bent his head to kiss her Amber saw red. She had no conscious control of her actions then.

Nathaniel tried to grab her arm but she snapped it away and stormed over. The slushy she held was clenched tight. She had meant to hit Lucia. Instead the red liquid splattered the back of Castiel. She froze as her group caught up. Nathaniel yanked her behind him and Lee and Charlotte came up on her sides.

Lucia wiped her hand over his cheek to wipe some liquid off his shocked face. The moment was totally shattered. They both looked up to see Amber and her group along with Nathaniel and Melody.

Castiel stood up and dragged her with him.

"What the hell Golden boy!?" He snarled and tried to lunge.

Lucia put her hands on his chest and stopped him.

"Get out of my way Shooter! I'm sick and tired of his shit!"

"Castiel calm down! It wasn't Nathaniel. It was Miss Priss." Rosalya shouted as Lysander grabbed his arm.

Castiel cast his eyes over Amber who still held the empty cup. She blushed but refused to look away. He cursed and calmed in Lysander's arms. He dropped a casual arm over Lucia when he noticed that she too was staring at Amber. She snapped out of her concentration and let herself be pulled to his side.

"What the hell Castiel? I figured you at least would have better taste than this." Amber narrowed her eyes.

"So you got jealous and threw a damned drink on me?!" He snapped.

"I was aiming for HER!" Amber yelled back.

Castiel rolled his eyes and gave Lucia to Rosalya. It was obvious Lucia wanted nothing more than to go at Amber. Rosalya was half tempted to let the girl go. Maybe a bit more than half. Lysander stood beside Castiel but mostly to stop him from fighting if the need arose.

"She really needs to go to a doctor." Rosalya muttered to Lucia.

Lucia watched the exchange. Her blood was pumping for a whole new reason now. Amber was just asking to be punched.

Castiel glared at Amber and then did the one thing guaranteed to annoy the girl. He turned away. Amber reached out to grab him but Nathaniel grabbed her.

"Let me go! You aren't supposed to be flirting with a freak like that! Castiel, please just listen!"

Castiel locked eyes with Lucia. He seemed to calm a degree but his face tightened a bit at the word freak.

"Amber I have never liked you. And I never will! You do nothing but try and make people miserable and you take advantage of the fact Golden boy is too blinded by family love to do anything about you."

"I… that isn't true!" Amber snapped.

"Perhaps we all need to calm down. This isn't the time or place for such a thing." Lysander said calmly.

Castiel grabbed Lucia and started dragging her away. Rosalya and Lysander followed after them. Lucia was glaring at Castiel. After a minute of being dragged she planted her feet and refused to move.

"What the hell Shooter? Come on!" He snapped.

"Yeah I will when you let go!" She shouted right back.

Rosalya and Lysander exchanged looks again. Instead of a budding relationship they witnessed the first fight.

Castiel sighed and let go of her arm. Instead he took possession of her hand. She rolled her eyes. Rosalya expected her to snap again but Lucia let Castiel pull her with him after that. This time he didn't pull and she was able to stay at his side without struggle.

They spent maybe another hour at the mall. But after the whole incident even Rosalya couldn't get back into the shopping groove. They eventually called it quits. And so they began the hour and a half journey back to their sleepy little homes.

This time Castiel sat in the back with Lucia because she was starting to doze here and there. He knew she wouldn't feel totally comfortable sleeping on Rosalya. He had his arm around her and she was bent to sleep on his shoulder. She was blinking sleepily.

"Ugh I really don't like that little wretch!" Rosalya muttered crossly.

"Calm down." Lysander said softly.

"Well I agree with Rosalya. Amber needs to stop acting like she is the queen of the world." Lucia commented.

"Especially since she isn't even a servant in the castle!" Rosalya added.

"Right on." Lucia nodded.

Castiel and Lysander didn't comment. They let the girls badmouth Amber for a bit until Lucia really did fall asleep.

"She sleeps a lot I believe." Lysander said after he looked back.

"That's an understatement! If she had a choice in the matter I think she'd sleep all day!" Castiel smirked.

They chatted on light topics for the rest of the ride back to the store. Once they were there they were wondering what to do. Castiel had ridden his motorcycle over but he could hardly take a sleeping Lucia back the same way. Especially since she had bags of clothes and shoes thanks to Rosalya. They decided that Castiel would ride back to his apartment and Lysander would drive Lucia there. That way they could hang a few more hours and still manage to avoid waking Lucia up.

When they all parked Castiel glared at Lysander. The silver haired man had been about to pick Lucia up and carry her inside. He took possession of the small girl and left Lysander with the bags. Rosalya took his key from him to unlock the door and went in first to love on Demon.

Castiel took Lucia to the bedroom and laid her down gently. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. He caressed her cheek a moment before he left her alone.

Lysander had dropped the bags on the kitchen counter and helped himself and Rosalya to some soda. It was a mark of just how close the three were that they felt perfectly at ease to take his food. He couldn't say anything since he did it when he was at Lysander's house.

He grabbed a bag of chips and went to the couch. Rosalya handed him his guitar and he smirked at her and cocked a brow.

"Oh come on! You guys promised to play me one of your songs."

"We may wake up Lucia if we do that." Lysander pointed out.

"Oh please. That girl sleeps like the dead." Rosalya batted the excuse out of her way with a wave of her hand.

So they played for a bit until Demon demanded attention. After his walk the dog retreated into the bedroom to curl up against Lucia. The girl was an easy sleeping companion. She didn't really move but if you did shift she would accommodate you. Demon liked sleeping with her.

When it got to be around ten they all admitted that they were tired. Lysander and Rosalya waved goodbye and Castiel showered quickly. He couldn't explain why he was exited to get into bed. Maybe because he would be able to press her body against him all night again.

When he did climb between the sheets Lucia moaned a bit and opened her eyes. She looked at him for a moment. The sleep in her eyes was cute in a way. He smirked at her cockily. Her only response was a sigh. Her eyes drifted again.

He lay on his back for a moment to stare at the ceiling. He had a very good friend in his bed. He had a friend that he really wanted to screw in his bed. A friend that he very nearly started screwing in the mall. He thought he would be okay as long as he didn't kiss her. And he really had to stop getting into situations that made her womanhood become irresistible.

He was a horny teenager; of course having her in his lap would make him swallow. Especially when he saw that answering flicker in the crimson depths. He covered his eyes for a moment to try and block out the images his mind was torturing him with.

Finally he drifted off to sleep. Before he drifted fully he yanked her into his chest and wrapped her up tightly. Lucia sighed again and shifted closer to press her face into his chest. Neither one had any dreams. Lucia slept better than she had been and Castiel thought it was one of the most peaceful sleeps he'd had in a year.

The next morning Lucia woke up in his arms. She didn't stiffen from shock or anything. She knew that she would wake up like this. And she couldn't say she disliked the sensation. It was where his hand was that was a bit unsettling but even that was so small. His hand had managed to grab a firm hold of her butt.

He's so warm, she thought vaguely. He was like a heat box actually. She pulled away reluctantly. She showered quickly and threw on some new clothes. Rosalya really did have some good taste. It was a pair of jeans and a warm sweater today with some boots. The weather was starting to turn cold so she'd have to get used to layered clothes. Since she was awake she took Demon for a walk too.

He was very good with her. He didn't pull her around this time and he finished his business quickly. She burned off some energy by running back to the apartment with him. When she got back Castiel hadn't even moved a muscle. She didn't want to wake him up.

She called Auntie and explained the situation to her. Instead of the screaming fit she'd expected she got something startling.

"Oh Darling I knew it! I just knew you'd fall in love!"

"It isn't like that Auntie." She muttered over the phone.

"Yes because girls spend the whole weekend at a boys house all the time." Tata said sweetly. "Oh sweetie just admit it! You have fallen in-"Click.

"Crazy fairy lady." Lucia muttered.

She sat at the table for a minute. She didn't know what to do. She played with Demon a moment but he didn't seem inclined to be playful this early in the morning. So she did the next best thing.

Lucia dug around in the fridge and the cupboards for food. Not junk food. Actual healthy won't-make-you-die-early food. She didn't like that Castiel ate mostly junk food. And his whole fridge and shelves were jammed pack with chips, puddings, pop tarts, and TV dinners. His garbage was littered with Wc'Donalds bags and some pizza boxes. If he ever quit the basketball team he'd blow up like a balloon.

She ended up deciding to make a ham, cheese, sausage omelet for him.

Castiel woke up refreshed. He went to the restroom first as always. When he was done he went into the kitchen to see Lucia standing by his stove cooking. A plate of sausage was on the counter and she was fiddling with a pan.

"Shooter can cook." He commented with a grin. "I'm shocked."

Lucia turned and smirked at him. "Don't be mad that I have more balls than you and still have girl skills."

"Ho do you know I can't cook?" He asked with his arms crossed.

"The fact that this pan is like brand new." She retorted as she dumped the yoke into it. "You better like omelets."

"Yeah whatever. They actually haven't been used in a long time. I'm not above cooking a burger or something simple but for the most part the stoves goes unused until my Mom shows up."

"Thought so." She said as she slid the omelet onto a plate.

She handed it to him along with a glass of soda. "Since soda and energy drinks is all you have." She rolled her eyes jokingly. "Which reminds me I stole a Gatorade."

"It's cool. Take whatever you want. On a more serious note am I gonna die eating this?"

"Eat it and find out."

"You're so comforting." He mocked.

"I know right?" She drank her Gatorade happily.

"Well thanks. Why aren't you eating?"

"I ate toast." She said promptly.

To Castiel it sounded like she said that often. He suspected she was lying. But he was mildly abated when she nibbled on one of the spare sausages. "I really just don't know about me. I don't really care if I eat or not. I more nibble here and there."

"I've noticed. I thought you'd puke up the pizza yesterday." He laughed around a bite of omelet.

"It was so greasy! I don't even know how you could eat that."

"The grease is what makes it taste so good Shooter!"

He laughed as she made a gagging motion. They ended up spending the whole day together. Lucia watched horror movies with Castiel and he played his guitar. They played with Demon. They ended up going on a long walk with Demon. He was much more playful then earlier. Castiel ended up unleashing him and they watched as the dog ran around the park chasing squirrels.

Lucia cooked dinner. After that Castiel joked that she may as well move in.

"My clothes are already here." She joked with him.

They sat on the couch in the same position they most often took. Him with an arm around her shoulders and her head against him. It was fastly becoming a habit to keep her close.

Across town Tata was stepping into a familiar office building. She walked with her usual spring and smile. The receptionist greeted her warmly. Tata waved to her and sat on a comfy chair.

She had been coming to this office at least once a week for about two months. So roughly since the time Lucia had come into her possession. She lazily flipped through a magazine as she thought about her "Niece."

The girl had improved greatly. As far as Tata knew she hadn't gained any real important memories that would unsettle her. Everyone who knew the situation was commenting on how much more pleasant she seemed. It was like now that she had a new life she was becoming normal.

Many had initially been worried that the girls' upbringing would rear its head. Tata and the Boss had been adamant that even if it did it wasn't what Lucia wanted. Lucia had been against what she'd been used for and anything any of her and her group had done was not entirely their fault. Tata remembered the first time she had met Lucia. The girl had been looking over some fruit in the marketplace. Tata had been supposed to just watch the girl. But she seemed so cheerful that Tata hadn't been able to resist going to talk to her.

Lucia had been wary at first. Especially when Tata asked about her school and parents. The smile had faltered a bit but then came back full force. Tata knew full well that Lucia hadn't been to school and received her education from other members of her group.

She also knew other things.

Lucia had immediately calmed when her partner came. A tall man about two years older than Lucia. He had black hair and the crimson eyes that marked him as one of his own. He grabbed Lucia and smacked Tata away. He had been very protective of Lucia. But his glare had actually struck fear in Tata. Here was one who had fully embraced his purpose. But the way he was with Lucia…

And the way Lucia had been with him. She was always smiling and laughing with him. He was a lover of chaos which Tata and her group were against. But none could help but smile when Lucia did. Lucia would protest when he intentionally messed things up but then she'd roll her eyes and laugh. She was only fifth teen at the time. But it was obvious Lucia and this chaos lover were very much dependant on the other. It was rare that Lucia was alone for long and when she was she was a bit more subdued but still kind.

Tata, Raisha, and Locke wanted to leave them be. They weren't doing anything bad and were for the most part living away from society. Locke argued with his Father that they should be focusing on the few that were still causing trouble instead of the ones who were being peaceful.

"Miss Akashiya? He is ready to see you now."

Tata gasped. When she recovered she smiled and said in a scolding tone, "Now how many times must I tell you to call me Auntie Tata?"

"Just once more." The receptionist replied cheerily.

"Oh, la." Tata shook her head and giggled.

She stepped into the room and there he was.

"So then how is being the big boss suiting you?"

"Please don't. I hardly wanted this job." Locke sighed tiredly. "If it had come sooner though… this "promotion" of mine…"

"If it had come sooner we wouldn't be where we are today." Tata repeated like it was an oft said thing. "You really should stop worrying. Raisha is recovering after all."

"Indeed. And how is Lucia? Has she remembered anything?" He asked abruptly to shift topics.

"Nothing major. I think she may vaguely be remembering him but it isn't enough to set her off. "

"If she does remember him…"

"We'll deal with that if it comes. For now she isn't chasing the memories. I think she is mostly disregarding them as just dreams. She hasn't commented on hearing voices in a while either."

"That's something at least. If she recalls the whole of her past…. And her attitude?"

"Well she mostly seems to be softening. She seems more lax around others too. And I may be guiding her in being a good little girlfriend soon!" Tata squealed excitedly.

Locke eyed her a moment before running a hand through his black hair. He closed his violet colored eyes and sighed a bit. He didn't want Lucia to ever regain those damned memories. They were nothing but worthless things that would cause pain. And if she gave up again like she had then all his carefully done work would be basically kicked in the teeth.

Tata had continued gushing about how Lucia was spending time with a boy. She was very animated about it. He had been right to give Lucia to Tata. She had a very mothering nature. He recalled fondly the many times she had smacked him upside the head when he was a young mischief maker and scolded him. Then she would smile brightly and hand him a cookie.

She had also been his and Raisha's mentor. Those had been the simple days. Back when he could ignore the corruption of his Father and the people he controlled.

It wasn't until Tata said that Lucia had spent the night with the boy on Friday and again tonight that he focused on her again. He cocked a brow at her and simply stared at her until she looked at him.

"… And you're completely fine with her staying the night with a guy you've never met?" He asked dryly.

"Well I said she was softening. Not that she was under the impression that falling in love would be fairy dust and marshmallows." Tata said a tad defensively. "She still says that love is useless and stupid."

"Yet her actions with ken hardly scream that caring for others is a waste." He commented.

"Yes that surprised me too. For the month I had her at home and Ken was there she seemed very annoyed if anything else and then purely indifferent to him. She was still very tense then."

"And now she throws people over tables and causes scenes worthy of an actress when he gets pushed around." Locke chuckled.

Tata smiled too. "Yes, I was a bit sad when his Father yanked him from school. It seemed she was thawing a bit to him."

"I can respect not wanting your child to grow up under a woman's dominance." He smiled as Tata glared playfully.

"Well but it was good for her! It was the exact opposite of the relationship she had with her partner. She was the dominant one that was being leaned on instead of the other way. If anything I'd say she needs someone who will lead her but also give her independence." Tata nodded. "Or lets her walk all over them but I can't see her tolerating the weakness long. She wasn't raised to value the ability to be weak."

"… None of us were."

They stopped talking when the receptionist brought in some tea and cookies. Tata immediately dived for the sugar bowl and poured a heaping amount in. He watched amusedly as she stirred it in along with cream.

"I'll never understand how you drink it like that."

"I need sugar to keep me sweet!" She playfully winked. "After all one can't be a fairy godmother without sweetness."

He smirked and leaned back in his chair. Tata noticed the lines of fatigue that grew longer each week along his eyes. She wondered if she should comment. She truly viewed Lucia as a beloved niece. But Locke she looked at like a son. She had known him since he was a baby, had in fact been best friends with his Mother.

"You know you're Father… he was a good man until…" she waited until he raised a brow to signal her to continue. She swallowed a bit. 'Until your Mother died. It wasn't until then that he became so…"

"Became such a blind old bastard you mean?" He dryly finished.

"Locke!"

"It's better not to lie. We all know that he was. His death doesn't change the fact."

"You should still respect the dead." She scolded.

"The one thing he taught me was to give respect when it was due. He deserves my scorn. However I am grateful he raised me to be firm at any rate."

"Still my point is… I think you need to get yourself a new partner."

He glared openly at her now. He was no longer the pupil, he was the boss.

"Well I mean… Raisha would understand. Sometimes a Leader has to take hits to preserve the greater good. No matter how strong she becomes again she'll never be as strong as she was after all. And your wife will have to be at least as strong as she was, if not more so."

"When Raisha recovers fully my own strength will carry her through any lessening of her own."

"But Milord. This job is not an easy one. A partner needs to be able to stand by your side and take the burden from you. It shouldn't be you protecting your wife and your position."

"… Enough. You can talk but I was raised knowing Raisha would be a mate to me. I can hardly go hunting through the ranks for another suitable candidate."

Tata sighed a bit but silenced her complaints. Locke was nineteen now. He wasn't going to listen to her like he used to.

"More importantly Tata. Find out about this "new love" of Lucia's. Find out if he could possibly trigger anything in her memory."

"Aye, aye captain. One snooping Fairy Godmother on the case!" She beamed widely.

He took a moment to absorb the gleam of anticipation in her eyes. He could practically see her quivering in her chair.

"… You're going to enjoy this aren't you?" He sighed tiredly.

"Oh yeah!"

End chapter 5

* * *

Author note: I know it was short and I apologize. I seem to have caught an annoying bug from my sibling. But chapter five is written and waiting for a few finishing flourishes. So should I do a character bio for Locke? What did you think of the character expansion of Tata?

Thanks to Sweetmemories for the awesome last name of Auntie Tata and Lucia!

Anyway hope you enjoyed and leave some reviews okay?


	6. Bloody Recollection

Author note: Ugh why do illnesses seem to never go away? Seriously the only good thing about this is I get to stay in bed and clack away on various things… Anyway chapter 6!

Sweetmemories: I got amusement out of the slushy too. Good thing he isn't real because I think he'd have something to say about it too.

Jem: Oh I'm glad you liked it! See you in the forums!

Foxtailsrox: I should be thanking you for taking the time to read my story! Thank you, I hope it continues to be worthy of attention.

Moriah: Thank you for answering. Her memories aren't a past life like she was reincarnated. Something happened and she lost all the memories of her past from childhood up until the day she woke back up. Hope that helps! Also she isn't a vampire. She is fully human. The last name was recommended by Sweetmemories, I was not aware it was off another anime/manga. I simply liked the sound of it.

Disclaimer: Not mine…

Character bio: Locke

Age: 19-20

Looks: black hair, violet eyes. Slightly tanned, 5'8, slight muscle tone. He has "Raisha" carved into his left shoulder.

Clothing: He wears mostly expensive things. His preference is black or dark colors.

Personality: like Lucia different people and situations bring out different sides. He is mostly calm seeming and prefers observation to possible risky moves.

Background: He is sympathetic to the plight of Lucia and has a keen interest in her developments. Despite his young age he runs some kind of organization that Auntie is a part of. He seems to be in love with a woman named Raisha, or at the least connected to her.

* * *

Chapter 6

About two weeks passed with no real developments. Lucia spent most of her time avoiding Auntie who had developed an insane desire to meet Castiel. It didn't seem to matter how much Lucia yelled. Auntie was sticking to her guns. Lucia was slowly becoming exhausted. When auntie attacked her with meeting Castiel Lucia wanted to snap. She had caught herself more than once thinking of wrapping a hand around the slender neck.

At these times a wave of dizziness would strike her and she would clutch her necklace fiercely. She could here "him" clearly. Orders, orders… She wanted to follow them so badly.

Before she could figure out what orders she was recalling they vanished. She was left as always reaching out desperately. The nightmares were doubling. She woke often screaming from the pain of some forgotten torture. As she continued having them she began to realize the pain was centered mostly in her head. It was like something was being torn from her skull.

The result wasn't pretty. Her lack of sleep was taking its toll on not only her but also her teachers. She was becoming irritable. Her exhaustion was obvious. She snapped and rarely paid attention in class. If she bothered to show up to the class at all.

She was wandering around the park. Her foggy mind struggled to recall her past. She focused on the few things she knew and repeated them over, branding them and trying to make them come to the surface. She was frustrated when her mind let things slip away.

And then she reacted without thought to the next thing that happened. Amber had just "accidentally" tossed a bag of trash directly on Lucia. What curse did she have on her that the blond had to be here now?

She slammed Amber into a bench and proceeded to punch the blond repeatedly. Then she dragged her from the bench and straddled her with her mind in a fog.

"I've warned you. I think it's time to show you what I'm really capable of since you insist on this nonsense." She had whispered in her ear, delighted by the trembles and the small whimpers of pain.

Nathaniel had pulled her off after he witnessed it from across the park. He had never seen such a sight. It was as though a huge dark cloud circled the girl. Her porcelain skin had dulled and her eyes were exhausted. She looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. Confusion was evident in the very curve of her shoulders. He didn't understand how she was even still standing.

He had done the one thing he knew to do. He took Amber home and dragged Lucia with him. His sister wasn't badly hurt. Her nose was bleeding and it looked like she had a black eye. He swallowed to think what Lucia could have done had he not seen it.

Lucia had sat in the backseat with utter blankness on her face. It was like the girl he'd come to know was slowly being edged out by someone else. He wondered if her memories were returning or something. He had read that the victim of memory loss could become unstable if the memories resurfaced, the new "self" going to war with who they'd been before the amnesia.

After he had safely seen Amber home he'd taken Lucia to a small café. She stared at him with that blank stare and he shuddered. It wasn't the normal dreamy look of indifference. It was like she didn't even see him.

"Lucia I want you to tell me what is going on." He said seriously after he had ordered two coffees.

"… Why should I? It's mine and mine alone." She muttered.

"What are you talking about?" He snapped. He struggled to remain calm.

Suddenly she fractured horribly at the edges. She collapsed utterly and seemed to cave in on herself. Her hands supported her head weakly and she whimpered. Nathaniel came around to her side of the booth and put an arm around her. She instinctively tried to jerk away despite the spike it sent through her head.

"Lucia what is it?" Nathaniel asked again, gently this time.

"_This is an order do you understand?"_

The voice echoed in her head. It was her phantom lover, the one she cared for so much. His voice was at its most familiar. This was the truth of him.

"_This thing is to be my partner? What decided that? It's so scrawny. I'd do better alone." _

Another spike crashed through her head like a bullet and she gripped at Nathaniel suddenly. She needed the support even if she didn't realize who was giving it.

"Lucia!" He put his arms on her shoulders and tried to rouse her. She was suddenly covered in sweat and feverish to the touch.

"_This hair, this face, this body… It's all useless. You are nothing to me."_

"Make it stop!" She whispered in desperation.

"Lucia just come on! It'll be okay, just tell me what is wrong."

Lucia couldn't hear anything. She was caught up in the middle of a storm of her own making. Her own body had turned on her, her mind tearing open and bleeding random sentences and fragmented shards of memories she couldn't piece together. It was like someone had control of all the pain sensors in her body and flipped them on. She couldn't help the whimpers and desperate pleas to stop. It hurt so bad she couldn't even cry.

As for Nathaniel he had dragged her from the café and back into his car. He felt like Lucia wouldn't want the eyes of the other patrons as she had… whatever she was having. He held her close and ignored the dampening of his shirt with her sweat. He called to her frequently but she either couldn't or wouldn't respond or acknowledge she was even aware he was near her.

"_You belong to me. Every breath you take and every step you take, think only of me. Whether I'm here or not think only of me. You're mine, my tool."_

"Lucia!"

_Grow stronger. As you are now you're nothing but nuisance. Become useful to me."_

"Useful to… you…" She muttered through the pain.

"Lucia are you calming down? Lucia come on, you can do this. Just focus on my voice."

Lucia looked up at Nathaniel. Her eyes were glassy and he was struck again by how exhausted she was. Her skin was feverish now and she was sweating.

As for Lucia it wasn't Nathaniel holding her. She saw the blurry outline of her phantom lover instead. The pain still throbbed terribly. She saw clearly the dark nothing that his dark eyes had. The twisted smirk that sat on a full mouth that could evoke either terror or deep pleasure from her. From him she desired pain. For him she desired to be the perfect tool.

"_Have you heard everything I've said Lucia?" He mocked with his cruel eyes and smirk. _

"I'll be useful to you." She murmured through the pain.

"What?" Nathaniel asked her in confusion.

"_Show me how." _

Lucia hurried to obey him. Her lips pressed with all the experience he'd taught. His hands tightened painfully on her arms and she pressed again and again. Suddenly the pain faded away completely besides a bearable throb and she closed her eyes exhausted and sagged.

Nathaniel blushed scarlet as Lucia collapsed in his arms. Her breath was hot on his sensitive neck and he shifted a bit. His heart was pounding. She kissed him! Him of all people…

He sighed a bit and touched his lips. It had been his first kiss and he was certain that she hadn't been in her right mind. He could just forget that part of the incident. What he could not forget was the fact she had become so unstable. He assumed it was because of her exhaustion. He had been aware of her growing animosity in school and Melody had commented often on how sickly Lucia was beginning to look.

She didn't show up in lunch and she had even drawn away from Castiel.

Nathaniel sighed and moved to let her lay on the backseat. He then got into the front and started his car. He knew where to take her. He didn't have her address but he knew a place that would be just as good to her…

Nathaniel pulled into the parking lot and sighed. He REALLY didn't want to go knock on that door. Since the Deborah incident he had been less than cordial to Nathaniel. Hell, forget cordial. Castiel had been hostile.

He glanced back to Lucia. The whole ride she had whimpered and seemed to be in the throes of some terrible nightmare. He had tried calling to her but it hadn't worked. Whatever she was going through wasn't something he could breech. A part of him was very aware he was just pushing his problem off to Castiel. Nathaniel could have driven her to a hospital or text Melody for the girls address.

But he would make sure this didn't extend further than today. He was sure Amber was causing a ruckus at home and playing the wounded victim very well. He had seen her provoke Lucia again however. In fact Melody herself had commented on the small pranks Amber tried to pull on a normally amused Lucia. He was curious why today she snapped so utterly.

He sighed again and got out. Lucia weighed nothing so it was easy to carry her into the apartment building. Castiel lived on the third floor. He let her legs drop to the ground so he could knock on the door. As he re-lifted her he heard that monster dog go berserk. The noise seemed to jar her harshly as she uttered a small cry and turned as though trying to escape. Nathaniel tightened his grip slightly.

The door was thrown open to reveal a sleep rumpled Castiel. His eyes widened into annoyance when he saw Nathaniel. Then when he took in Lucia they narrowed again. Before he could comment Nathaniel dumped the girl into his arms. He took notice of the way Castiel automatically cradled her and shifted so her head rested against him. Interesting…

"What the hell Golden boy? What's up with Shooter?"

"She had some kind of break. I can only guess that maybe her memories are coming back. She has been exhausted lately."

Castiel glared. "What the hell does exhaustion have to do with memories?!"

Nathaniel rubbed his temples in annoyance. "I don't have the time or patience to explain things to an idiot. Just get her home somehow or call her Aunt. I'm sure you have the number or something."

He left Castiel with a final glance to Lucia.

Castiel glared at him down the hall. When Lucia suddenly whined he turned his attention to her and closed the door. Demon seemed to know that this wasn't a play time and simply followed after his owner. Castiel gently laid her on the couch and touched her forehead with the back of his hand. She was boiling. He gently brushed sweaty strands of her hair away from her face.

Demon whined and licked at her hand. Castiel went first to his kitchen and got a cold cloth. He returned and bathed the sweat from her face and neck. She sighed and seemed to calm when he caressed her cheek.

He didn't want to do the next part. He felt like a huge pervert seeing as she was unconscious. But he actually didn't have her Aunt's phone number. So he reached hesitantly to her chest. He cursed the fact she considered her breasts an extra pocket. With a breath he reached between her mounds and pulled out her cell phone but not before he felt the scar tissue.

Curiosity got the better of him at that point. He pulled her shirt up to reveal her gold lace bra. And wished he hadn't. How he hadn't seen this before he didn't know. But thinking back he realized that her shirts, though risqué, hadn't crossed the border of public indecency. But deliberately carved into the bit of breasts he could see was a pattern very much like a vine riddled with thorns. And between the mounds, surrounded by the thorny vine was the word "Fang."

'What the hell happened to you back then Shooter?" He muttered and pulled her shirt back down.

His heart was jacked. A scar like that was a very deliberate thing. It had no tearing to suggest she'd struggled and no uneven edges. He couldn't believe she would stay still for such a torture. She couldn't have done it herself though. He knew her writing and this had a distinct manly draw to it.

He pulled her shirt down and then sat there for a moment in silence. His other hand clasped her phone tightly. It didn't make sense. He couldn't make any sense of Lucia.

Finally he called her Aunt. The woman had sounded so cheerful on the first moment. Then her voice had changed to be sharp and to the point. She demanded that he tell her the symptoms Lucia was showing. Then she demanded his address and promised to be there soon.

Castiel hung up and ran a hand through his hair. Lucia continued to whimper and occasionally thrash. It didn't seem to matter how many times he shook her or called her name she wouldn't respond.

_Lucia ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She was exhausted, her body protesting every movement. Blood congealed around her fingers as she ran. She detested the stickiness of it but she ignored it. _

"_COME BACK HERE!" A voice yelled angrily at her. _

_The sound of pursuit was all around her. She paused a moment to lean against a tree and reach into her pocket. She inhaled the sweet scent a moment. Then she deliberately hurled it to the ground with all her strength. The glass shattered and she smirked a bit. They couldn't follow her now. _

_She stumbled a bit when she pushed from the tree. He would scold her. He had told her to flee and she had deliberately ignored him._

_Her feet found the path easily and she ran through the trees. She stumbled into a familiar break between the trees and froze a moment. The door to the cabin was ajar, so careless. More careless than he'd ever been. But more important was the blood that was suddenly so clear to her on the green grass. _

_She ran into the cabin with her heart pounding. They had to have been lying! He wasn't so careless; he never would have been hurt so badly!_

_The cabin was torn apart, as though in a fight. Blood was splattered against the walls and floor, so much. The smell of it was overwhelming and made her gag. She had always hated the smell of blood, taking her cue from him. He liked to spill it but he hated the smell as well. _

_And in the far corner of the small cabin against the wall at an odd angle… Her eyes widened in disbelief as he came sharply to view. He was covered in the sticky red, his eyes closed as he lay in a growing pool of it. She couldn't believe it. Not him… _

_She went and knelt by him. She shook him. She even dared to draw her hand back and smack him. The action caused the body to shift and fall against her. She felt tears fall swiftly down her cheeks as she sat there. Her arms wrapped around him, registering the coldness of him even as her mind rejected it. He just needed her body heat… That was all. _

_She longed for his hands to wrap around her again. She needed him to tell her what to do. But he remained silent. As he continued to grow cold she had to face reality. He wasn't ever going to tell her anything again. _

_It wasn't fair! He was everything she cared about! She loved him! It wasn't fair that he died!_

_She buried her face against his head and screamed._

Castiel jerked up from his position on a kitchen chair when Lucia started to scream. The chair fell with a clatter as he lunged over to her. He yanked her up into his arms and held her tightly.

"Shooter! Come on and wake up! Listen to me!"

Tata was exactly one floor below Castiel's apartment when the screams began. They were blood curdling and chilling and she would recognize the voice of it anywhere. She had heard that scream before.

As others opened their doors curiously she took the stairs two at a time. She got to the door and turned the knob. When it didn't open she cursed and pounded on the door.

"Lucia!" She yelled through.

It was a great cacophony of sound. A man was yelling and a dog was barking loudly as Lucia continued to scream. Tata cursed as more people gathered in the hall. Finally she did what she never thought she'd do again. She reared back and kicked with all her strength.

"OW! SON OF A TWINKLE!" She snapped as pain lacerated up her leg. "MOTHER SUGAR AND SHITAKE SHROOMS!"

She hopped a moment as she continued cursing in her own way. The tenants were very confused. They didn't know whether to listen to the screams or watch the childish woman who now pounded on the door with both small fists.

"TIME FOR PUNISHMENT!" She screamed in anger.

Finally a fellow student of Lucia and Castiel stepped forward and tapped her on the shoulder hesitantly.

"WHAT!" She rounded on him. "This had better be REAL EARTH ENDING GOOD!"

The teen winced and gave her a look like he was questioning her sanity. Finally he just reached past her and grabbed the knob. Tata glared and crossed her arms at his stupidity. Then she gasped as he pulled the door out into the hallway. She had been trying to push it open.

"It's an old building…" He muttered.

Tata didn't bother thanking him. She disappeared inside and froze at what she saw. Lucia was in a red heads arms as he yelled at her to wake up. Tears leaked from behind the closed lids.

Tata glared at the dog as it growled at her menacingly. She knew better than to take a step to her Niece though. The dog had a very clear message in its stance. Do not move an inch.

"You have to order her!" Tata yelled.

Castiel turned a bit to take in the oddest sight. A fairy stood in his apartment. He supposed she was the famous Auntie Tata Lucia mentioned in passing. He hadn't really believed Lucia when she said the adult ran around town merrily in a costume though.

He turned back to the girl in his arms and couldn't help but wince as she choked on her own scream.

"Lucia wake up now! It's-an order!" He yelled desperately.

He was shocked when her eyes immediately opened. She took him in with the same shock. But he saw more than shock in her eyes. There was terror and fear. She suddenly threw her arms around him tightly and sobbed bitterly.

"There's so much blood! They killed him!" She shouted hoarsely.

Tata stiffened as the words penetrated her skull. "Lucia." She said the name sharper than she intended.

Lucia pulled away from Castiel and looked at her Aunt. Hatred and bile rose in her a moment. She wanted to claw at her Aunt. More than that she wanted to make her Aunt pour the crimson liquid like he had.

It was gone as swift as it came and she was left again with nothing but fear and a sense of deep loss.

"Auntie please… What the hell is going on!? Why do I keep dreaming about blood? Why can't I remember his name!?"

Tata looked away a moment. "I don't know baby girl. All I know is what I was told. And that was that you were in an accident."

"That wasn't an accident! It was a memory!" Lucia snapped. "I wish it was just a nightmare." She moaned against Castiel, burying her face against his neck.

She felt a bit more grounded with him there. Calmness returned to her a bit with his arms around her. Tata stood there and looked over the boy who held Lucia.

With a sigh she went to go disperse the crowd outside.

Castiel held the calmer Lucia gently. He didn't understand any of this. Lucia was regaining her memories…? And they were bad. Or at least something was bad in them.

As for Lucia she was being haunted by his face. She could recall it in full detail now even without the blood decorating it. The handsome face of the one who had meant the most to her. The face with a cold smirk that put Castiel's to shame. The colder eyes that sliced her as easily as his words did. Yet those same eyes sometimes looked at her tenderly. Sometimes he had caressed her and held her close every night.

Tata came back in after a moment and swallowed. She had no idea what to say. She had to call Locke. He had to be reported of this immediately. He already knew about Lucia having nightmares. He had cautioned Tata to keep a close watch on her and try to stop Lucia from becoming too exhausted. It would seem she had failed terribly.

Finally she cleared her throat and Castiel called Demon away. Once the dog stopped eyeing her she crossed over to kneel in front of Lucia. Lucia didn't flinch when Tata drew her fingers through the blue silver hair.

"Alright sweetie. What all do you remember? I don't mean just today, I mean since you woke up." She needed to know.

Lucia sighed and described "him" in detail. When she tried to explain her feeling toward him the corner of Auntie's lip tightened and she seemed suddenly unapproachable. Lucia trailed off and clutched the sapphire necklace weakly. When she looked back Tata seemed to be different again, back to the sugary woman she normally was.

"It's possible you knew a guy that looked like that… But this-murder… it didn't happen." Tata said slowly.

"It feels too real! I'm not going to forget again." Lucia protested.

"Listen Sweetie. I know that the accident you were in was nothing so bloody. And if something so terrible had happened to you don't you think I would know? I am your blood Aunt after all." Tata said in a soothing tone.

Lucia narrowed her eyes and shook her head, unable to deny it. And she didn't want to deny it either. It was such a terrible thing to imagine that "he" was dead. It was more pleasant to believe her body had just been pushed too far and turned on her with hateful lies.

"You've been trying to make yourself recall it haven't you?" Tata asked softly.

"Yes… I need to know who I really am." Lucia answered back just as soft.

Castiel couldn't help but shiver. The real Lucia… He held the real Lucia in his arms didn't he? Or was there another Lucia that lurked in the shadow of her mind, waiting to reclaim her body? It made him sick to think about it.

"Lucia…" Tata murmured. She looked to the ground as she took Lucia's hand and absently stroked it. "The "you" that you are now is the real you. The present is who you are. Nothing in your past will change the basics of what makes you."

Lucia seemed about to protest but Tata rose suddenly with determination. "Please stop chasing these memories. You'll remember when you need to. Right now your body is blocking them because it knows you don't need them. When you do they'll be there."

She turned to Castiel who still held Lucia cradled in his lap. He glared at her when she studied him. He faltered a bit when she smiled and turned into all that sugar again.

"Well I have to be off! Lucia if you stay here the night I want a call. And no funny business!" She reached down and yanked Lucia off of Castiel and onto the seat beside him. "And you keep those grabby hands to yourself! As cute as I think little mini-you and Lucia's would be I'm not ready to be a great Auntie just yet!" She smiled.

"Whatever!" Castiel snapped as Lucia groaned in annoyance.

"Hmm, what an attitude! Careful or I'll have to teach you a lesson."

She giggled and practically skipped from the apartment. The smile left her face as she went down the steps. Her cell was in her hands as she slid down the banister. He answered right when she stepped through the front door and moved to her car.

"We need to get together and talk."

Castiel and Lucia were looking at each other. They were both a little weary. Castiel had just seen the girl have a nightmare from hell and cry. Lucia had no clue how she had even gotten here or if Castiel was angry with her.

"How did I get here?" She asked suddenly.

"Golden boy brought you. Is your Aunt always so charming?" He asked sarcastically.

"What you see is what you get with her. Can't you tell that she is where I got my sunny disposition?"

Castiel smiled a bit and released a breath. Lucia relaxed a fraction.

"You can stay or go." He said suddenly. "I don't care either way."

"Thanks…" She blinked. "You know I think I beat Amber up again…"

"What?"

"You heard me. I think I really hurt her… I really snapped… Wanted to make her suffer so badly."

Castiel ignored the chill her words had when coupled with the lifelessness in her eyes. He wanted his Shooter back.

"Well I'm not surprised. I mean she does try and push you around. It was a matter of time before you went at her again." He leaned back against the couch tiredly.

"Yeah but… I wanted her to bleed, Castiel. I wanted to see it. I feel so dirty now. I can't remember anything after I grabbed her except this fog and then all this pain…"

"Hey… Lucia?" Castiel reached out hesitantly as a strange look crossed her face.

She sighed and leaned against him. He automatically wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm going crazy aren't I?" She whispered.

"What the hell kind of question is that Shooter? You're just tired. I should be cussing you out for getting so exhausted like this."

The thought made her smile. A scolding from Castiel seemed amusing to her. Like the thought of Ken coming back a man amused her. But… what Ken said then and what Castiel said now meant they cared about her right?

She was getting better at her ability to identify her own emotions and others. Ken really was affectionate and very kind. She cared about him like she cared for Iris and Violette. Like a friend. Or maybe a baby brother… Castiel was a different thing entirely.

He made her hot like her phantom lover. That she could put down to lust. But the way he made her feel safe and at ease… She didn't want to place that in the category she feared. She suspected she had maybe loved her phantom. So how could she love anyone else like that?

How did he feel?

He seemed to want her. She knew he did even if she wasn't sure of the rest. He wanted her body at the very least. He seemed to like having her around. His sarcasm hadn't dulled but she recognized that it didn't have that sharp edge with her like it did with others. And his anger over her letting her body become so ragged was another thing that indicated he cared at least.

"Hey Shooter… Do you have any really bad scars on you? Like, do you remember how you got them?" He asked suddenly.

Scars…? She did have some. One in particular was worse than the others. She had an intricate scar pattern on her chest and a word carved into her flesh. She looked at them with both pride and sorrow. She couldn't explain the mixture of emotion. It was just another piece of her she needed to know about. She supposed she could wait to try and pull out anymore memories for awhile. At least she'd regain her strength. And she wouldn't open herself so completely.

"… I can't remember how I got them but I have some here." She took his hand and without thought put it against her chest. "They're real deliberate. Like I wanted them there."

"Is that so?" He asked with some small distraction.

Under his hand Castiel could hear the calm pulse of her heartbeat. She didn't protest when his hand shifted a bit to stroke her. As she became aware of it her head fell on his shoulder and her heart jolted a bit faster. Her breath was hot on his neck and encouraging as he heard the moan mixed in. It was a small, breathy thing that made him swallow.

His palm left her breast and traveled up the long throat and then to her chin. He turned her to look directly in her eyes. Under that tired look was desire. What was it about her that was so damned tempting? He really needed to stop. She was tired and exhausted. She wasn't in her right mind.

All the arguments flew the coop when she sighed and asked, "Can you make me feel good again?"

"Lucia…"

He pressed his lips to her forehead. Then he kissed her closed lids and both her cheeks. He kissed her ears, nibbling gently on the shell of first one than the other and dragging another soft sigh from her. The softness of her cheeks was too great a temptation so he kissed them again and again, nipping her jaw line in between kisses.

She offered no protest to the ardent kisses. It seemed suddenly to be the perfect thing to smash her with his passion and absorb hers. The moment was rife with both their desires, the need to stake a claim on her clouding him. And yet…

He pulled back after a final nip and sighed. "Shooter this isn't the right time for this. If you were fully yourself and more aware…"

All Lucia could really focus on was the fact he hadn't really kissed her yet. He had left her very aware of her lips while he explored her face and ears.

"There isn't anything wrong with wanting to touch another human body." She frowned at him with some reproach. "We don't need to keep denying this. Why should we?"

The words sounded familiar to her and she sighed again. Her phantom had said something similar to her once.

But she didn't see him for once. She saw only Castiel and his hesitation.

"This is what we both want. That won't change in the morning." She murmured.

Suddenly he grinned dangerously. "Then we can both wait until the morning, after you've slept."

Lucia berated herself viciously as she realized the trap she'd stepped right into. But now that she had he wasn't going to let her wiggle from it.

"Of all the times to imitate Lysander and his gentleman attitude you pick now." She huffed.

"I guess he rubbed off more than I thought. Think I've rubbed off any on him?" He asked with his usual smirk.

"Yeah. I bet if he had a girl basically offering herself up with a ribbon and they'd both wanted it from practically day one he'd say "Yippee" and take the plunge."

Castiel couldn't help the chuckle. "That might be taking it too far."

Lucia relaxed a bit when he kissed her forehead again lingeringly. At least she had this level of intimacy.

Castiel informed her it was about six. She called Auntie and left a message saying she was staying at Castiel's. He gave her another shirt and some boxers. They were clean. As a bit of punishment she started stripping in front of him. As soon as she pulled her shirt off Castiel turned her around.

He looked at the pattern he could see. He looked at her and traced the top of her breasts, following the vines.

"Want to see the rest?" She taunted.

"Stop trying to tempt me. I'm sticking by my decision Shooter. Not yet." He narrowed his eyes a bit, hating being pushed even by her. "Do they hurt at all?"

"… No they don't."

"You're right these were deliberate. It's like someone pulled the scabs off repeatedly to keep them from being bulky and torn."

"I wouldn't know. I do like the idea of pain though when I think about it so it's possible I asked for it or didn't mind."

"Huh. Well anyway finish up and go to sleep. You need sleep."

Her jaw clenched reflexively in fear. The nightmares waited…

She grabbed his arm when he would have left. He turned and raised a brow at her.

"Even if you won't be intimate with me tonight… I don't want to sleep alone… I can't, not after all that blood and…"

"Alright, it's okay. Shooter calm down I'm here."

She realized she was trembling. Her eyes widened and she jerked away. Sudden disgust for her weakness flared inside. She changed quickly, leaving her necklace on. Castiel had removed his shirt and stripped to his boxers. He slipped between the sheets first and waited patiently while she hesitated.

When she finally did get in the familiar bed she curled against him and they both assumed the familiar position of cuddling. She sighed and closed her eyes with a flicker of fear. She didn't want to see anything. No dreams… No fears…

Castiel waited until her breathing evened before he turned on the TV he had set up in his room. Demon leaped up and curled against her legs. Castiel and the dog watched over the first few hours of her sleep. At about ten Castiel was tired as well and drifted with a final kiss against her hair.

Lucia slept peacefully and dreamed only of a warm and gentle sun that bathed her in warmth and affection.

End chapter 6

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Author note: Ah well see I developed their intimacy level. The kiss will come I promise. But don't you think the longer I draw it out the better it'll be? No? Let me know because I can work it and more in at any time really. Now then I leave you with the promise of chapter seven.

Just what is Tata keeping from Lucia?

Is that cheer and energy nothing but a cover for Auntie Tata?

Was that really just a nightmare brought on by her exhaustion? Or was that a part of a bone chilling past Lucia may be better off never remembering?

Who the hell is Locke and what the heck does he have to do with any of this?

And lastly will I ever stop being cruel to Castiel and let him kiss Lucia?

Castiel: It's just a kiss you know. I mean I don't care either way but it gets frustrating for you to dangle it and then yank it away.

Me: Well consider this revenge for all those times you were a sarcastic jerk to me in the game.

Castiel: I don't force you to come see me!

Me: Yes, you do. That red hair of yours catches my eye and I have no choice. Now shush so I can close this chapter.

Castiel: Who the hell said you can boss-"

Me: SILENCE I SAID! *throws an acorn at Castiel*

….. O_O….. *run for my life* Review please!


	7. Thirst for the truth, swallow the lies

Author note: Chapter seven is here. Whew, I am proud of myself. There is a descriptive scene. It isn't sex. I'm not that perverted…. Stop staring at me with those disbelieving eyes. *pout*

For this chapter _**bold italics like this represent a memory, but not one from Lucia's forgotten past. More recent. And one she probably wants to forget. I know I would. **_

Disclaimer… Still not mine. I just kidnap the characters from My Candy Love every now and then and bend them to my will.

* * *

Chapter seven:

Castiel woke up around seven in the morning. He blinked tiredly and let out a small groan, wondering what had woke him up. Lucia was curled against him still and he couldn't help the smile that softened his features. She looked very peaceful.

Demon had waked with his Master and was watching him. Castiel reached and gave the dog a pat on the head. The tail shifted through the covers and wagged happily at the attention.

He yawned and looked at the clock. It was ten past seven to be exact. School started in an hour. By all accounts he'd normally be up. But today….

School seemed a very poor second to staying in bed with the confusing girl beside him. Besides that Lucia needed her sleep. So Castiel, happy for any excuse to miss school, closed his eyes again.

When he finally did wake up it was past noon. Castiel stretched and got up. Lucia slept on, curling around the abandoned pillow now. Castiel watched her a moment before chuckling. He didn't care what anyone said the Lucia who fell asleep in his arms and he messed with daily was the real Lucia.

He showered quickly and took Demon on a walk to Wc'Donalds, conveniently located about two streets from him. He figured today Lucia wouldn't mind the junk food.

He got home as quickly as possible. He entered the apartment and smiled a bit when he heard the shower running. He was glad she felt comfortable enough to shower here. He was even more pleased when she came out in his shirt again. Then he swallowed when he realized she wasn't wearing pants. He could see the lace of her bikini bottoms if she moved a certain way. Another small punishment… Joy.

Castiel was never being a gentleman again.

Lucia smirked knowingly and tortured him more by crossing her legs. Castiel tried to not notice the raising shirt. Instead he studied her face. She looked a bit better but the dark circles were still under her eyes. But the familiar Lucia stared at him through the crimson depths. It was her. Not that scared, broken creature he'd held after the nightmare and definitely not the girl who for the past two weeks had been waspish and unapproachable.

"Well are you feeling better?" Castiel asked.

"Yes. Thanks for last night Castiel." She hastened to cut off his reply. "I mean it. I don't think I would have slept as well if I wasn't with you… I always sleep better here for some reason."

He fought a blush at the admission and looked away to get the food out. She smiled and accepted the Gatorade and sausage biscuit and tater tots.

"And you're eating all of it." He told her with a smirk.

"Oh what are you now? The food police? Want me to let you frisk me?" She said with the familiar mix of flirtation and sarcasm.

"Keep this up and I just might." Castiel growled in a mock warning.

She rolled her eyes a bit but took a bite of the breakfast sandwich. He smirked and pulled out his own breakfast. He nearly laughed at her look of instinctive distaste. He had before him a nice greasy Wc'rib breakfast croissant. The barbeque sauce oozed out of the sides.

"Isn't it a bit early for ribs?" She asked with a cocked brow.

"Hey it's a breakfast croissant too." He chuckled.

"Yeah… And here I thought Wc'Donalds couldn't get more fattening."

"Come here." He said suddenly.

Lucia gave him a wary look. It was very obvious she heard the command in his tone. Her body tensed a moment before relaxing fully and coming to stand before him. She could trust Castiel.

She didn't protest when he drew her down onto his lap. At that point she went with an eagerness she was almost sickened by. He studied her face for a moment before the familiar smirk blossomed on his own. She watched him curiously and with a new hint of wariness. Yes, she trusted him… she didn't trust the smirk.

So when he brought the Wc'rib up to her lips she jerked away. However her attempt was a fail. He had wrapped an arm around her, affectively barring her escape. Lucia cursed herself and realized that she needed to stop getting close so him because she always ended up in situations she would normally be screaming at.

She despised the feeling of being trapped. If this was anyone then Castiel she would be using any means to get away. Scratch that, anyone but Castiel would have never gotten her on their lap or had her trust to this degree.

"Come on Shooter. It's good." He wheedled her.

"In your dreams. Do you have any idea how much grease is probably in the bun alone? And don't get me started on the sauce. Carbs city."

"You don't care about your weight enough to diet." He scoffed, waving the words away.

"True but stuff like that slows you down. It isn't healthy for your body." She defended swiftly.

"One bite." He told her, still smirking.

"Nice try, but you got the wrong guy." She tried to push from him in vain.

"Shooter, Shooter, Shooter. You know I won't back down until you do." The promise of it was laced heavy in his words.

Lucia tsked. Castiel kept quiet since he was sure of his victory. He smirked and Lucia was tempted to grab the vile thing from his hand and smash it into his face. Her fingers actually itched with the desire. Unlike with Amber though it wasn't a driving need. The blond just brought the worst out of her on the best of days and turned Lucia into a blood thirsty animal on the worst.

Lucia finally rolled her eyes and leaned forward. She took a small bite. It wasn't the worst thing she had tasted. But it was still a vile thing that she didn't feel like indulging in often. Castiel was smug in his newest victory over his Shooter.

A bit of the sauce had dripped onto her cheek. Castiel leaned up and licked it from her cheek like a cat. The wetness of his tongue and also the proximity to her ignited her. She wondered what it was about Castiel that could make her change her thoughts so easily.

"Well then now that I've placated you." She muttered.

Before he could really register her words they were scattered from his brain. She had wrapped her hands around his head, fingers gently tugging through his hair and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss seared them both. Lucia felt a slow aching burn spread as Castiel let her dominate, following her lead. When she parted her lips though he took the hint she gave and took the control from her.

His kiss was hotter and more demanding then she could have imagined. She whimpered a bit when he cupped her cheeks in his hands and rubbed his tongue along hers.

Castiel was on fire from the feeling of her tongue against his and the way her body naturally arched into his. He could imagine all too clearly being buried in her. He could very nearly feel her raking her nails along his naked back as he claimed her in every way imaginable.

Unable to stand the thought he gave her bottom lip a nip and then drug his mouth to her neck. She gasped when he bit her hard and then suckled away the brief flash of pain. It was exquisite torture when he did it again and again, recalling her admission she liked a bit of pain.

"Castiel, please!" She tugged insistently and he gave her another searing kiss that made her further melt.

His hands pushed up the shirt and she raised her arms and let it be discarded to the floor. His fingers traced the vicious scars before he cupped her mounds fully.

Lucia hissed when he squeezed and she lost herself to the sensations he was evoking. His tongue continued to plunder her mouth, searching out the hidden corners of her own.

She moaned when he pushed the cups out of his way and used his mouth and hands, pressing kisses upon nips to her breasts. She felt that slow burn growing and was fastly becoming unwound.

For them both it was a building pressure. It clouded their minds with the need of it. Lucia wanted nothing more than keep going but she hesitated. And he wanted nothing more than to take her body up on the offer it so readily made.

He took a shaky breath when she pulled away a bit. He pulled the cups back around her and then wrapped his arms around her. He pressed his face into her chest and tried to stop the violent beating of his heart by listening to hers.

Lucia sighed a bit and held him to her. She wasn't ready to be a tumble in the sheets. She didn't think a kiss would be like that. She hadn't expected to feel so animalistic in it. Had she been so liberated with her phantom lover before?

Castiel didn't want another relationship either. He couldn't deny that Lucia pushed every boundary he had set for himself. If they had continued on for another minute he would have yanked her to the bedroom and been blind to whether she wanted to go that far or nor. He didn't all together like what she did to him. But he couldn't for the life of him push her out.

They held each other, both lost in their thoughts. And both wondering what the new discovery of just how very far they'd come down the road of attraction would do to their friendship, important to them both.

Tata met with Locke in his office building. Much to her delight she saw a familiar figure standing there with him. The woman had hair richer than any flame that cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her eyes were bright crimson, marking her as an advanced. She showed off proudly the name carved into her shoulder "Locke."

"Raisha! What are you doing up?" Tata gasped and gave the girl a hug.

Raisha smiled and laughed a bit. "Oh come on! Don't tell me you're going to scold me too Auntie!"

"Well of course I am! You should be resting." Tata gave her a look to show her displeasure.

Raisha sighed and shook her head. "You and everyone else. It has been a while. My wounds are gone and I want to know about Lucia too." She pouted a bit. "Locke never tells me anything when he visits and I heard she may be regaining her memories."

Tata shot an accusatory look to Locke who merely shrugged and continued to read over some documents. She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Out of them all it had been Raisha who had gotten closest to Lucia. The real Lucia, the one who was kind and a bit not there. Raisha had been the one that could draw a laugh from the girl. Her affection for Lucia had been so apparent that after a month or so even Lucia's partner stopped tensing when he noted the two together.

Nobody could really understand how Raisha felt when the orders came down by Locke's Father. On that day Raisha had been a mess, angrily tearing into anyone who got too close to her.

"Silence is your answer?" Raisha grasped her arms a bit tightly. "Well then I suppose it is true. She is remembering things… does she recall him?"

Tata could hardly lie. So she nodded though it was against her will. As soon as she did the whole atmosphere changed. Locke tensed and Raisha froze. The crimson eyes danced with concern and guilt.

"Not a lot." Tata hastened to add. "She recalls bits and pieces. She knows she cared for him and that they were… you know… intimate…"

"And what else does she recall?" Locke was up now, moving around the desk to stand by Raisha.

Tata was momentarily struck by how right the two looked together. They complemented each other very well. Raisha with her delicate, pixyish appearance suited with Locke's commanding and masculine one.

"Locke… for now she recalls that he died… and she remembers finding him… I convinced her it was a nightmare but…"

"But she is already one step into her past." Raisha bit into the soft skin of her lower lip.

Tata sighed and lowered her head. "Yes."

Silence reined for a moment as the three contemplated the ramifications of this newly gained knowledge. Locke had hoped that Lucia wouldn't even remember a drop of her past. Raisha loved the girl after all and that was enough to make him back her up.

He didn't know what to do with a Lucia that was regaining her memories. It meant a Lucia that could become so many things. She could become that broken woman again, hating herself and resigned for her death.

It was his Father that ordered her "kind" as he had callously put it be put down. But it was Locke himself who broke her utterly as one might break the soft shell of an egg. He had been angry and filled with a sense of loss at Raisha being wounded and it had caused him to lash against Lucia.

In their lives there was generally only one person who would always be there for them. Someone chosen by the higher ups. This was the only similarity between the two organizations. Or so they'd always been led to believe. But meeting Lucia and chatting with her had brought home a startling revelation Locke almost wished he'd never had. He realized that his Father was having him strike out at a fellow human. Lucia wasn't the monster he'd built in his brain.

She had been just a kind, out of it girl. Nervous when her partner wasn't around. She had always been thinking of him. When she had relaxed enough around them to be her natural mix of flirtation and sassy her words were filled with him.

It had been all together disconcerting to meet her partner. He most often wore a look of pure indifference or one of annoyance depending on various things. But when he looked at Lucia his crimson gaze had always softened just slightly. After his initial explosion at them he never said a word to them. He would appear from nowhere and simply say her name and Lucia would turn and trot after him like an obedient puppy, forgetting their presence.

His second revelation came when they had Lucia locked up. His Father had slowly chipped at her. And then he himself had begun to be vile to her. She never fought back or resisted. She wouldn't even try and escape when the others were rough with her.

He realized that there was another difference. He hadn't been raised to be dependant on Raisha. They were partners and had grown close enough. But Lucia had breathed for her partner. Everything he said was a law she couldn't ignore. When he died she really had nothing to fall back on, no independence to claim.

Secretly Locke wondered after if killing her wouldn't have been kinder. He had stopped it in the end but after, while he waited for her to wake up he wondered if anything he did now could change how she was raised. Her memory loss had been a miracle he all too readily pounced on.

A Lucia with her memories could hate them with a passion for tearing the fabric of her life to shreds. Or she could revert to the empty shell he'd created with his words, the girl that made his stone heart crack a tiny fraction and question his faith.

With a curse he went to look out the window. Tata gave him a guilty look like it was her fault Lucia was remembering.

"Should I see her?" Raisha asked in a curiously hesitant voice. "If she is recalling unpleasant things… maybe one of us should be there when it happens."

Locke sighed and let his mind ponder the words. The human mind was a complicated thing. He was certain the memories had been blacked out by her own will, to escape the misery of what she was. If her body was pushing her to remember now then it meant her mind felt safe enough to have them. She had become so much more free and pleasant without the memories clouding her though.

"No." he dully responded. "Seeing you again may jog too many memories at once. She could go after you in retaliation and this time…"

"This time she may not hesitate." Raisha finished.

Locke looked at her with no emotion. "Yes."

"I think for now Tata monitor her still. Keep me updated and discourage her chasing these phantoms of hers. The longer she stays in the dark the better for us all."

Lucia sighed as she sat through a boring class again. It had been a month roughly since her last nightmare. Auntie had begged her not to chase her memories and to just let them come. Lucia had complied with a small sigh.

More and more frequently she found herself looking at Auntie differently. Sometimes she felt a pain of betrayal. Other times she would feel a great fountain of guilt so potent she felt sick with it.

Castiel and she had settled into an interesting relationship to say the least. They acted as though they had no change to their friendship but sometimes he would kiss her roughly and she found herself responding just as roughly. Beyond heated kisses they maintained a friendship.

Nathaniel acted very odd around her. She had seen him glance at her lips a few times the first few days. He seemed to have settled though after some embarrassment. It seemed to help that he and Melody had finally became a couple. Lucia had sarcastically clapped when Melody told her before giving in and hugging the exited girl.

"No babies though. I'm too young to be an Aunt." Lucia had joked dryly.

Both Melody and Nathaniel had blushed scarlet at the thought of babies and what babies meant had happened. Castiel had laughed his ass off when the normally calm Nathaniel stuttered and tripped on his words. The two teens had found some common ground. They couldn't help but be around each other because of the surprising friendship of Melody and Lucia. So they found common ground in their common dislike of having to be near each other so often.

"Would you grow up already?" Nathaniel finally sighed out with a face palm.

The arrival of two new students had ignited a new friendship as well. Two twin boys named Alexy and Armin proved to be a great distraction tool for Lucia. Alexy had a grand old time dragging Lucia around to stores and picking out outfits for her. And Armin hardly minded NOT getting dragged around for shopping.

Lucia being occupied with the twins left Castiel to catch up on bro time with Lysander. The two fell easily into the old patterns. It was Lysander who noted the change that had happened to Castiel. He seemed calmer and not as violently inclined. Before Castiel had been a bit like a land mine waiting to be detonated.

Lucia practically lived with him. Her Aunt didn't seem to mind in the least though she did look a little skeptical about the fact they weren't having sex. In fact she had embarrassed the teens badly by knocking on the door and midnight one night about three days into the new arrangement.

_**Tata had taken one look at the fact Castiel was only in boxers and Lucia wore his shirt with only it covering her legs and sat them both down. Thus began "the talk."**_

_**Lucia had been very torn between a morbid fascination as her Aunt actually pulled out a Ken and Barbie doll and horror. The fascination quickly became horror when she actually used the dolls to simulate "good touch, bad touch." It hadn't helped that Castiel had been barely holding in a laugh of amusement. She was sure Auntie could tell all the "coughs" weren't real. **_

"_**Do you want a cough drop Sweetie?" Tata asked cheerily. **_

_**Castiel had just choked on a new laugh and shook his head. He gestured for her to continue as Lucia resisted the urge to strangle him with his vocal cords. **_

_**Tata sighed and then began rummaging in her bag. "Now if you guys absolutely must do this then always remember to use these." **_

_**She pulled out a box of condoms in triumph. Lucia groaned a bit. **_

"_**I already have some." Castiel told her Aunt. **_

_**Lucia found herself doing Nathaniel's face palm of doom as Tata twitched. **_

_**The fairy regained her cheerful demeanor and plowed on with her explanation of the talk. "Now then…" she pulled out a condom. "These are NOT water balloon substitutes. And I don't want you filling them with mayonnaise or lotion and leaving them in weird places."**_

"_**Oh I'll use them correctly." Castiel smirked and put an arm around Lucia who smacked him with her free hand. **_

"_**On other women." He added when it looked like Auntie Tata was about to leap over the coffee table. **_

_**Lucia ignored the jealously that pinged in her heart. She reached for the image of her phantom lover and held it close, gripping the sapphire necklace to try and recall his name. Tata noticed and Castiel saw her eyes narrow slightly and that got his curiosity going. **_

_**The ending had been when Tata had actually simulated sex with her dolls. And if Lucia couldn't remember sex her "simulation" would have traumatized her. Castiel had been unable to control his mirth as Tata slammed the Ken doll on Barbie repeatedly until the action sent Barbie zooming onto the floor where Demon grabbed it and ran off. **_

_**Tata looked at them expectantly in the new silence. Lucia looked down in a loss for words, her lips parted with no sound coming out. It had been Castiel who broke the awkwardness. **_

"_**Poor Barbie." He mocked.**_

After that Tata had mostly left Lucia alone. Locke had deemed it maybe wise for Tata herself to distance a bit from Lucia until the girl settled. He wasn't to keen on fostering another dependence on Lucia since Tata said Lucia seemed to follow this Castiel's orders but he didn't see another option before him at the moment.

As for Lucia and Castiel it allowed an intimacy they both craved from the other without having to admit the reality of their emotions. Of course Castiel had to deal with more people besides Rosalya and Lysander visiting but he got over it after some grumbling.

Lucia was enjoying the fact she had convinced Castiel to stop eating so much junk food. She cooked for him when she had time and thanks to him she put on several pounds. When he noted it he smiled a bit. She still looked too skinny but he couldn't really get her to eat much more unless he made sure to tell her to.

"Castiel I'm going to murder you!" She snapped.

"What did I do now Shooter?" He asked with some amusement.

He shook his head, amazed at how he actually enjoyed the rare bursts of temper she showed.

"You made me leave my notes for the exam tomorrow." Lucia hissed.

Demon looked up from his position on his seat. The chewed up Barbie had been replaced by Lucia by a stuffed panda which he now carried around in his mouth. Rosalya and Lysander exchanged looks as Castiel and Lucia bickered back and forth. Lysander was amused while Rosalya was positively gloating.

"Oh forget it. I'm going to go get them. Give me the key."

"What key?" Castiel asked with a smirk.

Lucia rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You've stolen every key to every door in that school. Do you really think I'll believe the front door got left out of your theft spree?"

He scoffed. "Whatever it takes to make you happy Shooter."

"Castiel…" She warned.

"Oh fine. Rosalya give her the key." He said.

"You have it?" Lysander turned to look at the girl he considered a sister.

Rosalya didn't even bother to look contrite or embarrassed. She shrugged and continued to chew her bite of burger.

"Well listen. Nathaniel is considered very good looking and he sometimes falls asleep-"

"Let's skip the details. This sounds like it'll reveal more about Golden boy then I wanna know." Castiel fake shuddered.

Rosalya threw a bit of her bun at him. He chuckled and tossed it to Demon who happily ate the small morsel and then climbed from his seat to beg off them.

Rosalya handed Lucia the key and the girl went out into the night. Castiel followed her to the hallway.

"Don't wander around Lucia. It's pretty late and some nasty people come out now."

"Aw I'm touched. You care about me." She responded with her usual sass but Castiel didn't smirk.

Instead he pushed her against the wall. His hand grasped her around the neck gently and tipped her head back for his possessive kiss. She sighed into it and let him dominate like usual. He didn't play with her like usual. He kissed her repeatedly and pulled her to him.

"Eventually were going to have to talk about this." He muttered. "I want you so bad…"

She wanted to tell him to take her whenever, wherever, however. Like him it was on her mind. They both wondered when they would break. They could both see the day they crossed that invisible line coming. But neither of them made the move to separate. They stood by the line and watched the other, waiting for the other to push them over it into new territory.

Instead she said, "Talk about what, your sexuality?"

He pulled away a bit to look at her. "What was that?"

"I've seen the way you eye Lysander. And you did call him the head of your harem." She smiled to show she was joking.

Castiel chuckled a bit and kissed her again. "I'm serious Shooter. Straight home. If you take an hour I'm dragging Lysander out with me to drag you back."

"What about Rosalya?" She mocked.

He growled a bit and prepared to respond when a camera flash blinded them.

"I'm coming with you Lucia." Rosalya said smugly. "Oh this is a great picture. The Casia fans will pay some moolah for this one."

"Casia?" Lucia asked as Castiel let her go.

Rosalya smiled brightly. "The Castiel and Lucia supporters. Your guy's couple name is Casia. Isn't it cute?"

Lysander shook his head as Lucia looked at him in mute appeal. "I cannot do anything about it. She has always sold pictures of us."

In the end Rosalya agreed not to sell it but she wouldn't delete it. The two girls cheerily waved to the boys as they walked away and down the darkened streets.

The town took on a whole new persona at night. The inviting streets were deserted except the occasional bum. But all in all it was creepy. Very few streetlights had been added and therefore there were long patches of darkness.

Rosalya seemed a bit put out by it but her natural cheer overshadowed her worry. As for Lucia she was very comfortable. Her body naturally sought out the shadows and camouflaged within them. Rosalya found herself three times looking for Lucia who walked so softly on the ground it was impossible to hear her unless she wanted you to.

Lucia always reappeared beside her after a moment. The two girls then laughed.

It was Rosalya who suggested they cut through the park after they got the notes for the exam. The two ended up laughing and having a grand old time playing a small game of hide and seek. They couldn't really hide well for long since they both had hair that stood out but it was fun. Rosalya had run a bit ahead to hide again.

Lucia tensed a second before the scream crashed around her. For a second the air had been filled with a murderous intent and fear. Lucia shook off her thought and ran to the noise. She had to stop and listen for any further noise.

Some instinct kicked in and stopped her from calling for Rosalya. She dropped her bag and went as silently as she could after she heard a whimper.

Rosalya was on the ground clutching her side from where one of her captors had viciously kicked her. There were two of them, two females. A jolt of shock ran through Lucia, a spike of pain to her brain. She winced and bit her lip.

"Oh, so you really did show up for this girl." The one with short brown hair in a fashionable cut to her ears turned suddenly to look directly into the shadows Lucia was in.

Lucia resisted the urge to curse. She was certain that no sound had been made by her and yet she had been so easily discovered.

"You may as well come out. Otherwise we can make her scream some more." The tallest of the pair dug her heel into the flesh of Rosalya's hand. Rosalya whimpered again.

Lucia stepped into the light and gave her best glare. She studied the two better now as they too faced her directly.

The short one looked like she was only thirteen, if even that. But she stood with an easy confidence and her regular brown eyes shown with arrogance. It was the other one that froze Lucia and sent a small chill down her back.

"Aria…." She muttered.

"Correct. And here I thought you'd gone stupid." Aria smirked and moved from Rosalya to close in on Lucia. "Though by the look on your face I bet all you remember is my name."

Lucia didn't confirm anything. She had no idea where the name had come from. But with it came a feeling of fear so intense it nearly made her collapse.

"I won't go easy on you just because of that. In fact, I'll go harder." Aria giggled a bit but there was no humor in her.

"… Let Rosalya go." Lucia ignored the instinct she had to run.

Aria snorted. Her eyes were crimson like hers. Lucia noted it and filed it away. Crimson eyes were not a normal thing. Nor was the dark blue hair that Lucia somehow knew was natural.

"Casey I think you can handle this…? After all she is just a dog without her fangs now." Aria waved dismissively.

Lucia felt the insult sting her in a way that surprised her.

Casey smirked and pulled out an actual whip. Rosalya would have been shocked that a teen actually had one if she didn't recognize the seriousness of it. Lucia immediately dropped into a defensive position her body somehow recognized. Immediately she took a better stock of Casey, cataloguing her build and posture to gauge how much threat she'd really be.

"I'll enjoy this." Aria forced Rosalya to her feet. "Beat Casey and I'll let this pitiful creature go."

Lucia saw the anger that shot through her friends fear. She prayed Rosalya would have the thought to keep silent and not antagonize Aria.

_Don't defend you idiot. Defenders get their asses kicked every single time, understand? _

The voice went through her and Lucia shook it away like an annoying bug. She hardly needed little fragmented memories now. She did however start running at the girl.

Casey smirked and sent the whip sailing through the air. It cracked against Lucia and coiled around her waist. Instead of being surprised as it tightened she got closer to Casey.

"Casey you damned imbecile!" Aria snapped.

Casey must have realized her mistake but it was too late. Lucia was close enough to swiftly bring her leg up and kick her in the face. Casey stumbled a bit and wasn't quick enough to block the second and third kicks. Before she could fall to the ground however Lucia had grabbed her and then used her own weight against the girl to slam her to the ground. Casey grunted in pain as her back hit the concrete and Lucia delivered a particularly brutal kick to her already aching jaw.

"What a weak amateur. I'm done playing with you." Lucia picked up the whip and prepared to send it in a deadly arc to Aria.

Aria cursed and grabbed Rosalya by her hair. Rosalya cried out as she was hurled to the ground and she could feel strands of hair break from her scalp.

"Move an inch again and I'll take her life." Aria muttered.

Lucia froze again and cursed.

"That isn't fair! Lucia won so you promised you'd let her go!" Rosalya yelled from the ground.

"Did I?" Aria made a huge show of looking clueless. Then she delivered a painful kick to Rosalya. "Here is your first and last lesson. People like me make a habit of lying. Isn't that right Lucia?"

"Just who the hell are you guys?!" Lucia snapped in anger.

Before she could think of a way out of the situation a hard blow was delivered to the back of her head. She dropped the whip in surprise. She spun and prepared to attack a now upright Casey. Before her punch could land Aria called out to her.

"I wouldn't if I were you! Otherwise…" She gave Lucia a calculating stare.

"You cheating bitch!" Rosalya stood up but before she could move more Aria grabbed and spun her around, her arm wrapping around her neck.

"Make a move against my partner again Lucia and I'll snap her neck."

Lucia didn't fight back as Casey began her assault anew. Normally such weak throws wouldn't do much to Lucia. She knew that if she was alone with just Casey she could kill the younger girl with an ease that both exited and frightened her. Because Lucia offered no resistance and the blows were constant however she was being forced back.

"Hmm I'd be touched if I were you." Aria muttered in Rosalya's ear. "The Lucia I knew wouldn't have even blinked at the threat of me killing you."

"You're wrong! Lucia is a good person, unlike you!" Rosalya spat.

Aria laughed a bit as Lucia was hurled into the rough bark of a tree and Casey wrapped her hands around the older girl's neck and squeezed.

"You can believe that if you want to. The real Lucia only cared about one person though. She was raised just like I was."

"No way. Lucia would never be as heartless as you… make her stop, she is killing her!"

"Stop her? Now why would I go and do that?"

Rosalya tried to struggle. She did anything she could think of from an attempted head butt to kicking. Aria simply laughed and tightened the arm around her neck to the point it cut off her breathing.

"I must say I'm a bit disappointed. I was aware she'd lost her memories but I didn't think she'd turned into such a little house pet."

Lucia could feel her heart slowing down as her mind swam in a fog. Weakly her arms raised and settled around Casey. The gesture made a mockery of a hug since she was trying to pull the girl away. She could dimly hear Rosalya yelling at her. It was so far away though.

As her hands fell down the younger girls back she felt something. Her hands instinctively grasped it from its holder before her hands fell limply to the ground again. Casey was so concentrated on watching the life be squeezed from her victim that she didn't see the glint of metal in Lucia's limp hand.

Her mind switched off and pure instinct took her over. Her hand grasped the handle of the dagger and plunged it into the soft tissue of the belly. Casey went rigid in shock as Lucia drug it through her stomach until it was ripped from her side. With all the strength Lucia shoved the girl from her weak body. Aria and Rosalya both gasped in shock as Casey fell to the ground, still alive and clutching at her stomach. Lucia sunk against the tree due to her shaky limbs. Her breathing was deep.

Rosalya took in her friend in stunned silence. Lucia looked battered and her whole body was shaking in reaction to the oxygen deprivation. But her lower body was covered in dark liquid, the knife clutched in her hand and blood coating her fingers and dripping from the tip. It was her face that scared Rosalya though.

Lucia turned her head to view them and Rosalya actually felt scared. If she didn't know Lucia she would have been screaming. In the crimson depths was only a hard coldness that hadn't even been there when Lucia went after Amber. On her face was a small smirk as though the fact she'd wounded someone was slightly amusing.

"Well looks like the dog still has some bite." Aria quickly regained her edge.

"I hardly need bite to take out such a weakling. You know what Aria? I think I never liked you." Lucia moved away from the support of the tree.

"Oh believe me my dislike for you started long before you hated me." Aria snarled.

"I've no doubt." Lucia muttered. "I'll tear the truth of what you know about me from you in pieces."

Aria threw Rosalya away from her and pulled out her own wickedly curved dagger. "You were never skilled really in close range. This'll be fun."

Rosalya crawled away but couldn't run in morbid fascination at the transformation of her friend. This wasn't Lucia! This cold woman was still her friend though. On a level deep inside her Rosalya knew it. Whatever was running through Lucia's thoughts now were she was still aware of Rosalya being present and concerned for her.

"Come on Castiel, Lysander… it's been way over an hour so come looking for us before Lucia disappears." She didn't know why the strange plea turned itself into her mind. But she was scared that the Lucia who was fighting to protect her was being drained away and replaced by an unknown entity.

Casey managed to drag herself up with a grunt of pain while Lucia and Aria went at it. Rosalya was surprised the girl was even moving. But her face registered only a little pain and she turned on her heels and actually somehow ran from the scene.

"Looks like your little partner abandoned you!" Lucia mocked as she blocked a kick.

"At least I still have one." Aria sneered. "Yours is feeding the worms!"

Lucia winced as Aria managed to plunge the knife into her arm.

"LUCIA!" Rosalya screamed when she witnessed it.

Lucia managed through sheer will to unbalance Aria and hurl her to the ground. She backed away rather than attack so she could rip the knife away and hurl it from her. Aria was back on her feet instantly and kept up a steady number of kicks and punches so Lucia had no choice but to go on the defensive and block and dodge.

Memories of fights clouded her as her body moved instinctively. This wasn't the first time she had fought Aria but this time was different. She wasn't being ordered to win…

What a stupid thing to focus on! Lucia cursed as Aria twisted the dagger from Lucia. Lucia made her stumble back with a quick kick as she ran for the dagger she'd hurled. Her fingers closed on it just as Aria tackled her to the ground and straddled her.

"_Ha I win again Lucia!" the girl laughed from her position on top of Lucia. _

_Lucia laughed good- naturedly. The girl atop her was her own age, seven. They both had ash colored hair and grey eyes. They weren't related however. _

_They were fast friends though. The two had been in the same class together and often sparred together. Lucia wasn't very strong so she often lost in close quarter combat unless she surprised her opponent. Her teacher made her focus on techniques to keep her from getting too close to an opponent since if she got grabbed it was generally over for the girl. She had a supreme accuracy that made throwing knifes and guns her specialty. That talent well made up for her lack of physical strength. _

_The girl climbed from Lucia and helped her up. Lucia dusted herself off and the two linked arms to go get a drink. After that the two sat down and began talking animatedly. Scattered here and there were couples, some with odd colored hair and crimson eyes. But they were all in groups of two, one girl and a boy together. It was rare to see two of the same sex together. They were all way older than Lucia and her friend though. _

"_It must be great to have a partner." Lucia sighed and leaned against her friend. _

"_Well will have them someday! Oh but…" the girl sighed and Lucia turned to look at her. _

"_Once we have partners we won't be able to be friends anymore. I mean, not like this. The only one we'll be able to be close to is them…" _

_Lucia bit her lower lip before throwing her arms around the girl. The girl wrapped around her as well._

"_It's okay! Were best friends so they have to let us stay together! Maybe if were really good together we can be partners when were older." Lucia beamed with her new thought._

"_B-but…" the girl stammered._

"_You don't want to?" Lucia felt herself deflate a bit. _

"_It isn't that! But Lucia, partners are more than just… Um, well… partners kiss and have… sex I think."_

_Lucia frowned. "Well I don't mind kissing you! But what's sex?" _

"_I don't know. I just heard the older kids talking about it." _

_The two stared at each other for a minute, both wondering what sex was._

"… _Maybe it's some advanced technique." The girl offered. _

"_I guess… I wonder when teacher will show us then." _

_The girl suddenly clapped her hands together. "Alright then! Let's make a promise Lucia. Lets both do really, really good so they have to put us together as partners. Then will be together forever!" _

_ "It's a deal Aria!"_

End chapter seven

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Author note: And so Lucia was killed tragically….. Just kidding! Well I have successfully brought in a character from Lucia's past. *dabs sweat from forehead.*

This chapter was haunting me, seriously. I had so much to fit in it and I'm afraid it is slightly worse shaped than the previous ones. Well it is complete finally. I know it may be confusing so feel free to ask me anything.

Alright those of you who have read the entire story so far I'd really like an honest opinion. **Is Lucia turning into a Mary sue?** I know it seems that Rosalya was very weak in this chapter compared to Lucia but I needed to use her to show a bit how cold Aria is. Plus Aria and Casey are skilled in all forms of combat so naturally they'd be ale to take Rosalya down with ease.

Also just some fun questions. What do you all think of my little Tata character? I've got some plot twisters in line for her, Locke, and Raisha. Are they the good or the bad guys in this story? What do you guys think? I'd love to hear opinions on what you guys think is going on in this tale. I've dropped some hints and I'd like to know if I'm being too subtle or too open.

Yes, child Lucia had normal hair and eyes. Her hair isn't died however; the silver blue is her natural color now. I can't give you anymore than that on the subject. On the subject just who do you all think is the real Lucia? The cruel woman who cared about nobody but her partner? The woman who was mostly kind and gentle? Or the Lucia that she is now? I'll tell you now she does not have a split personality or anything like that.

Pretty please show Lucia some love and drop a review of critique and whatever else you wish to offer! Until next time!


	8. Shattered Hopes, Lost Dreams

Author note: Hmm chapter eight. I don't really have much to say as of now. Well how about this? I've left hints and things throughout my recent chapters. For the person who guesses the closest to what Lucia and her partner was I shall answer three questions about the future of this story, no holds barred. Anything you want to ask I'll tell you in a private message. I figured a little competition might spark some fun.

I'll simply ask if you do participate and are the winner you will not reveal the answers to other readers. Though I couldn't stop you if you did… A risk I shall take. Of course if you are an anonymous reviewer, ask your questions after your answer and if you are correct I shall place the answers in the next chapter.

Also any ideas on how I can bring in the much hated Deborah? I'm drawing a blank on her appearance.

Disclaimer:…. I really will be saddened if you continue making me admit my lack of ownership…

* * *

Lucia stilled at the blade to her throat. The memory had swept through her unbidden and left her paralyzed. She dug deep for anything more, trying to see how the innocence of that friendship had turned so sour. She doubted Aria would tell her.

"Aria…" She said softly, all the desire to fight drained away.

Her body went lax under Aria who noted the change with a small narrowing of her eyes. Lucia gently reached up and grasped the hand that held the dagger. Aria suddenly pushed it a bit tighter to her skin and Lucia felt the blade pierce her flesh, felt the trickle of blood that immediately welled and ran in a rivulet down her neck.

"Go ahead." Lucia challenged softly. "Let's see how far that hatred runs."

Aria hesitated at the last. The calm look in Lucia's eyes tortured her more than her acceptance. It was pure indifference to whether Aria plunged the dagger. She didn't want that. She wanted Lucia to suffer. She needed Lucia to feel ten times worse then she had the last time she had seen Lucia.

Lucia, the perfectly obedient and submissive partner that should have belonged to her.

"I want you to suffer." She bit out harshly.

"I know." Lucia just couldn't remember why.

Suddenly Aria retracted the blade and punched Lucia hard in the face. Unlike with Casey who was weak this one hurt. Aria was as experienced as Lucia and knew how to throw all her power and weight into an attack.

Rosalya appeared suddenly behind Aria and raised a rock she had picked up. Aria sensed the movement and rolled from Lucia just as the busty girl brought it down. Lucia didn't have time to move as it slammed into her shoulder.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?! I'm sorry!" Rosalya grabbed onto a wincing Lucia.

"Really Rose? I'm going to hurt you now. Really I am." Lucia pushed herself up and touched her neck gingerly. The warm liquid from her veins had cooled swiftly in the night but it was still running and quickly made her palm slick with it. How the hell would she explain to anyone, especially Castiel, why she was covered in blood? It boggled her mind.

Aria crossed her arms and glared at her former friend. The fact Lucia had forgotten everything… everything Aria hated about what they were. It had taken Lucia from her. She despised this new Lucia especially. This wasn't the Lucia who was partnered. This was the Lucia she'd grown up with and dreamed of being with. And she didn't remember a damned thing about any of the important stuff!

"You get away from Lucia! You and that girl did more than enough damage!" Rosalya suddenly rounded on her, ignoring the calming gesture Lucia made to her.

Aria prepared to snap back but was halted by voices. Rosalya turned eagerly and shouted where they were to Castiel and Lysander.

Aria and Lucia continued to stare at each other blankly.

"I want you to remember this. I hate you now. Whatever you think you know… forget it. Nothing will change my hatred. In the end I'll bring you more pain then you can bear. I'll tear you apart emotionally and physically and make you wish you were dead."

When she suddenly vanished into the shadows Lucia jerked to her feet.

"Wait a second!"

"Lucia no!" Rosalya reached to grab her but was too slow.

Lucia started to run but her speed was impaired by her soreness. She didn't get far though anyway. She crashed right into a muscled chest and felt arms wrap her in a tight embrace. She tensed for a moment but then she smelt the familiar scent of cigarettes and leather and she relaxed a fraction. Adrenaline pumped in her so she couldn't fully relax.

Castiel pulled the smaller form a bit closer as he felt the slight shaking. In the dark he couldn't see the blood on her but he felt a wetness soaking into his clothes that touched around her stomach.

Lysander walked past then to take in Rosalya. The girl who was closer than a Sister crashed into his arms and simply sobbed a bit. His eyes scanned the ground. Rosalya was under a streetlight so he could see the stains on the concrete. He pulled her away to examine her. He gently touched the marks on her neck but she quickly shook her head.

"Not me. I'm fine but Lucia got really beat up." Rosalya told him.

Now somehow that didn't really sit well with Lysander. He had seen Lucia fight and it generally was with a calm coldness. She used a technique and skill that told everyone she had been trained to fight, taken classes or something. If someone had beaten her up enough to have Rosalya worried it troubled him.

Castiel had just led Lucia back to them and Lysander saw his friend stiffen as he got a good look of her. Castiel swore loudly and Lysander was inclined to agree with him on his choice of phrase for once.

Lucia was a mess. There were bruises along her neck where she had been strangled, not to mention the long cut that ran to her shoulder on her neck. More than that her lower half was caked in blood.

"Yeah keep staring guys. It makes me feel so much better about losing." She huffed and crossed her arms.

"Shooter what the hell happened?! We have to take you to a doctor." He shook his head and reached for her.

She darted out of his grasp and he glared at her. Lucia glared right back and Lysander sighed a bit. It wasn't the time for one of their arguments.

"Lucia we really must get you and Rosalya looked over. You especially seem injured." Which begged the question of how the hell she was standing.

"How about no?" Lucia returned.

"This ain't up for negotiation Little Girl! You're going to a doctor and on the way there you can explain what the hell happened here!"

Castiel moved closer to her again but she just as swiftly moved away from him. Lysander saw the way his old friend clenched his jaw and a muscle twitched under his eye. Castiel was getting very angry.

"It isn't mine!" Lucia snapped after another failed lunge.

"Then who's is it!" Castiel demanded.

"The other persons." Lucia shrugged. "She was choking me so I put a knife in her belly."

"A knife?" Lysander murmured.

"Choking you?" Castiel asked at the same time.

"She was protecting me." Rosalya spoke up. "The other one grabbed me and told her if she fought back anymore then she would…"

"I would have lost anyway. Aria isn't weak like her partner." Lucia muttered in some small annoyance. Her eyes were narrowed in a vain attempt to understand.

"Okay back up. Who the hell carries knifes around?!" Castiel yelled to nobody in particular.

"… We do." Lucia murmured. When she felt the others look at her again she sighed. "I knew Aria. I remembered when she had me pinned. She was a… friend." She hesitated over the word, somehow sensing it wasn't the correct way to describe the sapphire haired teen.

"Friend? You must have hit your head Little Girl." Castiel ground out.

"Not that hard!" Lucia protested, not really getting his sarcasm.

If Lysander wasn't so polite he might have been tempted to chuckle at her answer. Rosalya just looked miserable at the whole situation.

Castiel could tell he wasn't going to win short of tackling her. And that was something he didn't really want to do in case she was hurt worse. He tried to grab her again but she eluded him easily. He wanted to curse. Why couldn't she be a slow turtle like Deborah had been?!

"Fine." He finally snapped. "Whatever. But Rosalya needs to go. So I'm taking you home-now isn't the time to argue with me Lucia!" He rolled right over her protest. "I'm taking you home and getting you cleaned up. Lysander will take Rose to the hospital and then call us with an update."

"But I can't leave Rosy!" Lucia pouted a bit and Rosalya immediately went to her. "She's my little wifey."

"The night would be just too long if you separated us now after such an upset." Rosalya agreed swiftly.

Castiel and Lysander exchanged a look. The two girls pulled this routine of absolute love and adoration with each other at random intervals. They called each other Wifey and other pet names. The first time Leigh had heard Rosalya and Lucia hinting at personal things they'd done the shop owner had looked like a rocket had just crashed into his store. He had retreated to his room with their laughter ringing in his ears until Lysander went to fix the very wrong images his brother was conjuring.

The girls used it to get what they wanted most times. They'd even gotten free ice creams by holding hands and being cutely adoring to each other. The cashier had been dazzled.

Castiel wasn't falling for it this time. "It's either home or hospital with Rosalya. And you'll be getting checked out too."

Lucia glared at him. They locked into the familiar old contest, the first to look away admitting defeat. Rosalya and Lysander were more than used to this between their volatile friends and waited patiently.

Lucia could see it in his eyes he meant his words. And moving him would be harder than her moving Mount Everest to the ocean with just her hands. With a small grimace of defeat she sighed and buried herself in Rosalya's arms.

"I'm not leaving Rosalya."

Castiel sighed a bit and nodded. He was tired for no real reason. Sure he had ran around looking for the girls when they were twenty minutes late. But he was mentally tired. He hated to admit it but…

He was scared. He hadn't really been scared when Lucia was late. He had been more annoyed then and maybe a little worried that they'd find her slamming Amber into a pole or something while Rosalya recorded it for her later viewing pleasure. Also a little worried they were creeping on a sleeping Golden Boy at the school.

But when he saw those bruises and blood covering her… he had felt a deep fear. Fear that if they'd been a little later…

Or maybe if he and Lysander had simply waited and not gone out. And what would have happened if Lucia didn't have that sometimes annoying defense habit of turning others into blood smears…

… It looked like tonight she'd been the one to be turned into a blood smear against the concrete… would he have found a cold and unresponsive Lucia if he hadn't shown up when he did?

They had reached the car. Lysander went to the driver's side. Castiel gently pushed Rosalya to the front passenger seat and pulled Lucia back into his chest. Rosalya smiled a bit and climbed in.

Lucia blinked as Castiel held her tightly. He normally didn't hold her this tight unless he was kissing her. She could sense the desperation in it. So she wrapped her hands around his neck and just let him hold her.

When he pulled away and got in the car she followed him and wasn't surprised when he pulled her to be in his lap. She straddled him and rested her head on his shoulder as he rubbed her back. He was warm and familiar so she let herself drift off. With Castiel she was safe.

With her Castiel was not. Or at least his heart wasn't.

Inside a small one room cabin Casey didn't flinch when the front door slammed open and bounced from the wall, leaving a hole in the plaster. Aria threw the bloody knife she carried and it sailed into the wall opposite her, sinking into it to the hilt. Casey was to the point in the partnership she could admire the strength and skill just displayed and still focus on her raging partner.

Aria was ripping the comforter from the bed and swinging it around in violence and knocking over the lamp to shatter. What bothered Casey were the tears that glittered under the raging crimson eyes.

She rose and made herself known to Aria. The older girl turned on her and suddenly had her on the uncovered mattress underneath her with a hand wrapped around her neck. The hand squeezed but not enough to cut off her supply of oxygen. Casey didn't flinch when the other hand darted across her face with enough strength to split her lip.

"You useless and weak moron!" Aria spat angrily. "How could you mess that up?! You had her right where we wanted her! You could have killed her then and there. Why the hell…"

Aria growled a bit and bent suddenly to lick at the blood along the lips that belonged to her. The body under hers was for all intent and purposes hers. Casey knew it and didn't protest the sudden invasion of a tongue into her mouth. Even if Aria wasn't her partner she wouldn't have protested a kiss from the older girl. She only liked Aria. No one else.

Aria wasn't in the real mood for sex however. She deliberately tore the shirt off Casey despite that to reveal the bandaged knife gash. Her hands ripped the bandage off and pulled at the edges. Casey couldn't help the small shift in her breath as Aria pulled at it and it started to weep her blood again.

"Stay like this." Aria ordered.

The older girl withdrew off her and went into the kitchen. Casey lay placidly where she was. She knew that she had failed her Master greatly. She had to be punished.

It was the way with partners. The way it worked was with a submissive and a dominant paired together. Aria had mocked her greatly before the battle, saying that since Lucia had been the submissive in her partnership that Casey might feel a kinship with her target.

"Don't make me sick." She had snapped back in intense anger.

Under normal circumstances the retort would have earned her a harsh slap or worse. But Aria had just smirked and rolled her eyes in small disbelief.

Casey sighed a bit as she thought on everything. Tonight had been a huge smack in the face to her. It had really driven home the fact that compared to the Advanced she was weaker than a kitten. If Lucia had been able to fight back, even without her full memories to help, her body would have been able to kill Casey. If anything not having her memories made Lucia very dangerous since she also seemed to have lost her reluctance to hurt people she hadn't been told to.

Aria returned with a mahogany bowl. She set it on the table and moved to straddle Casey again. Her hand gently caressed the younger girls face but Casey felt only a cold possession in the gesture, not love. It made her ache worse than any punishment Aria would dish out.

"You're such a disappointment. Why would you play with her like that?"

"I'm sorry." Casey said softly.

"Whatever. I knew this would happen." Aria sighed and moved her hand away. "I knew that if I didn't hold something over Lucia you wouldn't stand a chance. You'll never compare to her in skills."

Casey hated how Aria practically oozed her disdain for Lucia. She hated it because under that hate, buried so deep Aria probably didn't realize it herself, was the same old love. When Aria brought up Lucia her eyes softened a bit before hardening into anger.

Aria reached over for the bowl and then used her other hand to pry the wound open. With tenderness she knew killed Casey she kissed the wound.

"You'll never forget my disappointment with you. I want you to think on it for the rest of our time together, until the day you die. Your weakness ruined my plans."

She poured the salt into the wound and made sure it was evenly spread out. Casey flinched slightly and a strangled gasp escaped her tightly shut lips. Aria dug the salt in to make sure it sealed the wound, sealing the mark of Casey's failure into her flesh.

Casey was too far along to let a tear slip. Tears went unnoticed but if they were they ignited nothing but a harsh mocking. In their world it was a disdainful thing to be weak.

Once it was done Aria tossed the bowl away and then enveloped Casey into a hug. The smaller girl was gritting her teeth as her skin protested the burning of the salt in her wound.

_If this was Lucia she wouldn't have done this. _Casey thought in some anger.

She hated Lucia. She really and truly did.

She responded however when Aria kissed her and caressed her. This was the only way she could be with Casey. Cruel and unkind. The only woman Aria had wanted as a partner had been Lucia. Casey knew that she was so cruel because she needed to punish Casey for not being Lucia.

Whereas in the end Aria really still loved Lucia under all the layers of venom… Casey really hated her. She hated her because if she had never existed…. Aria might have been hers. All the love and kindness and gentleness that Aria would have given to Lucia would have been hers. At the very least she wouldn't be getting punished because she wasn't Lucia. She wouldn't have the Advanced girls beauty and skill thrown in her face daily.

"_Aria I love you. I'm really glad we became partners!" Oh how naïve she had been then…_

_Aria looked at her with pure indifference. Her arms were crossed and she was leaning against the wall opposite Casey. Her long legs had been encased in leather and her muscled stomach revealed by the fact like Casey she wore nothing but her bra. _

"_Aria remember our talk." Casey's mentor warned._

_Lids folded over the crimson eyes Casey had long admired. The older girl pushed from the wall and walked with purpose to the table, picking up an ornate dagger from the surface and idly twirling it. _

_She didn't look at her. "Let's get this over with." _

_She paused and placed a hand on her cocked hip. Casey had been frozen by the fluidness of every gesture. Only the Advanced members could move with such precision. Finally her Mentor gave her a gentle push forward. Casey realized then that Aria was about to place the mark on her that named her a partner… A partner to an Advanced… and to Aria of all people… it was an honor she would strive to be worthy of. _

_Casey eagerly laid down on the table. Aria still had a look of indifference to her as she reached to unclasp the bra. Casey saw a small glint of amusement in the older girls eyes as she undid the front clasp, amusement at the pink polka dotted cups that covered the almost non existent mounds. _

_She held the cups together however and turned to glare at the Mentor._

"_Are you going to leave? Or are you such a miserable old man that you can only get a hard on by looking at a kids chest"?_

_Her voice, Casey had never heard it up close before… the voice of the woman she had been admiring and longing to belong to… and her dream had been realized…_

_Casey turned her head to look at her Mentor who had his eyes narrowed. He didn't flinch at the accusation Aria had lobbied at him. He crossed his arms and gave her a matching glare. They were both Advanced so in a fight he would probably win, being the one with more experience. _

"_I won't have you hurting her unnecessarily."_

_Hurt her? Aria wasn't cruel like that… Casey glared a bit. Everyone had already told her this would hurt. They had cautioned that while it happened she had to be still because if she caused a bad cut or tear Aria, as her dominant, would be very angry for ruining her claim. It was to prove her worthiness as a partner to Aria that she couldn't let her pain be known. They had all been taught to remain unfazed by pain of heavy doses since a young age. _

_Aria dug her nails into the soft flesh she held. There was an emotion Casey couldn't discern in her eyes. "As you and everyone else had told me this girl is my property now. Whether I hurt her or not isn't any of your business anymore."_

_She suddenly let go of the bra clasp and it sprung apart. She tore it from under the smaller girl and Casey gasped as she was viewable to her Mentor. She tried to cover herself. Aria was having none of it and smacked the hands away and then held them both in her hand. _

"_No. If he wants to look at you let him." Aria ordered and Casey relaxed._

_She couldn't suppress the small shiver that ran along her when Aria caressed the hardened point despite the embarrassment it caused. The fact that Aria was doing something like that in front of her Mentor of all people!_

"_Good girl." Aria approved without any real warmth. "Now then…" _

_She raised the knife and put the point on Casey. "Naturally for our audience I'll make this hurt a bit more than I would if we were alone. After all we have to prove your worthiness of me." A cruel smile distorted her mouth. "Understand?" _

"_Yes." Casey replied softly. _

_She didn't flinch when the sharpened point sunk into her skin. The door shut firmly and Aria chuckled a bit. "I thought so." _

_They were alone finally. Aria began to carve into the barely tested skin carefully. It hurt like a mother. The cuts were weeping blood out but Aria continued along. Casey distracted herself by trying to figure out what letters were being branded on her. She felt the "D." _

_It was the pattern that really tested her. The dagger stayed imbedded in her skin as it slowly carved around her breasts. When she was done Aria washed the blood away with a cloth and then pressed salt in the wound._

"_Hmm I'll have to tear the scabs off until it properly scars over. How troublesome." Aria muttered as she looked over her handiwork. "Though I suppose it isn't bad."_

_Casey got up and looked down at her chest. The word "Shadow" was carved between her breasts and surrounded by a pattern of wings that spread out over her breast and ended at her rib cage. _

"_The wings are our own personal mark. Once your breasts grow, if they do, they'll stretch… All this work and it won't remain perfect but such is the price I must pay for being saddled with a child."_

_Casey felt like she had been smacked. But she quickly forgot it when Aria removed her own bra. Casey couldn't help but stare at what she imagined was perfection. _

"_Would you knock it off? I don't want your filthy mind lusting after me just yet." Aria laid down on the table Casey had abandoned. "Well do your part so I can leave this miserable room." _

_Casey went as slow as she could to prevent any tearing. At times Aria sighed and grabbed her hands and dug the dagger deeper into her so the wound wouldn't be too shallow. Once she was done Aria stood up and threw on a jacket she had discarder earlier. Casey put on her shirt. _

"_Aria I love you." She said again. "I've admired you for so long and it's a dream come true to be able to live for you."_

_Aria glared at her, freezing Casey. "Love? Don't be so moronic. Until today we've never even spoken. And we never touched. I don't need you saying such idiotic things. If love was that easy then…" She trailed off and then shook her head. "I will never love you. You'd do best to throw those useless feelings away because if you get killed for them I'll look foolish… Now come on." _

_Casey followed like an obedient puppy, feeling like she had been soused in freezing cold water and then tossed in a snow storm. There was no talking. As they walked along the corridors other partnered pairs offered congratulations or simply ignored them. It was when they were out in the gardens on the way to the main house to receive their orders that Aria stiffened and moved a bit in front of Casey. _

_A pretty girl with long silver blue hair was pushed against a tree. Her eyes were open so Casey could tell she was an Advanced. They glittered in lust as she released a breath. A man in all black held her tightly, his head buried against her exposed neck. Her hands were on his arms and digging in hard enough to leave bruises. _

"_Company." She said softly and closed her eyes when he pulled back._

_Casey didn't go for men but she could appreciate the flawlessness of him. He was handsome in the classic way. Hair as black as a raven's fell along his forehead, one side of his bangs had grown long to curve along his chiseled cheek. He was slender but the way he carried himself was dangerous. It pricked along Casey's senses and told her to be wary. Most men in the academy were slender but that slenderness hid muscles and speed. His eyes were crimson like his partners. That alone told her that both of them were powerful. _

_His eyes skimmed them over and he smirked a bit. _

"_Well Aria. I see they finally cornered you into a partner."_

"_Congratulations." The girl offered._

_Casey didn't like the way the girl cocked her head and studied her in interest, her eyes traveling along her form. Aria tensed even more. She looked pained for a brief moment as she looked at the girl. Her eyes focused on the bruise his teeth had left on the girl's neck, marking her. It was common for partners to mark each other to show their possession of the other. _

"_When did you get back?" She demanded._

"_Today. You didn't think they'd let us miss the introduction of a new pair did you?" the male mocked them. _

"_I'm surprised you obeyed. Being partnered has turned you into a good little dog hasn't it?" Aria taunted. _

_Casey gasped. She wasn't surprised when the man narrowed his eyes and his whole posture changed. It was well known that an Advanced was chosen based on their pride and strength to defend it. They were the cream of the crop and also the ones most likely to fight one another. _

"_I suppose that that's the only thing you can strike at seeing as you got saddled with a kid." Aria stiffened as he continued on. "Poor little Aria. Denied the one you really wanted and then to be saddled with someone so weak looking… and the one you wanted belonging to someone else." He laced his hands around the girl's stomach and kissed her neck again. "Now why don't you run along? You've interrupted our personal time and I'm sure its time for your babies nap." _

_Casey gasped when Aria lunged. He laughed and he and his partner separated, him pulling out daggers and she a gun. She focused it on Casey for a moment. Aria didn't seem to notice as she went after the male, who was able to easily avoid her. The girl however lowered the gun after a moment with a look of sympathy when Casey began trembling in fear. _

"_I won't hurt you so long as you don't get in our way." She turned back to the fight. "You'll need to get some confidence if you want to properly partner with Aria."_

"_I know that!" Casey snapped. "And just who the hell are you to give a damn about it!?" _

_The girl raised a brow at her language but it was in amusement. She chuckled a bit. "Hmm, I wonder? I could say I'm a friend but… I think I lost that right." She seemed a bit regretful of it but mostly calm. _

"_What do you mean you lost it?" Casey asked in curiosity while the two fought. _

"_You'll understand soon. Being partnered is… more difficult than they make it seem. You have to give up a lot and… well… people get hurt on both sides."_

_Casey blinked and the girl was gone. _

"_Lucia…" Aria froze when Lucia stepped in front of her partner, her gun aimed directly at Aria. _

_Casey gasped in worry because the kind girl had vanished to be replaced by coldness. The ability of the Advanced… to temporarily ignore their natural feelings. _

_Aria looked pained and the man looked smug. "This is over. Don't make me hurt you Aria." Lucia said calmly._

_Aria cursed and looked away, unable to make herself move. The gun vanished from Lucia's hand and the daggers were returned to their hidden places on him. The man looked Aria over and rewrapped his arms around Lucia, who leaned against him thoughtfully but her eyes were a bit sad as they looked at Aria. _

"_You need to get over this Aria. As amusing as fighting you is… it's getting tiresome." He sighed. "She is mine and there isn't anything you can do about it. You have a partner now so focus on her. Lucia couldn't be yours then and she certainly can't belong to you now." _

_He pulled Lucia away and she followed him without a backwards glance. _

Casey hadn't hated then. Not just yet. That had happened later when she realized just how broken Aria was. There were a slew of reasons why Aria would never love Casey back. She didn't have silver blue hair. She wasn't pretty in any sense except maybe in a boyish way. She wasn't Advanced. She wasn't Lucia… and never could be half of what Aria had fallen for.

_Next time Lucia. I will kill you even if it'll tear Aria up to see your corpse. Maybe seeing you dead will knock you from that pedestal she keeps you on. _

End chapter eight

* * *

Author note: And done. Now I have an important question. Do you want a chapter focusing on Lucia and Castiel, more on Aria and Lucia's shared past, some CastielXLucia fluff, or maybe something else? I have a few ideas typed out but I figured I'd let you guys decide what you wanted to see next.

… I had no idea writing Aria would be so hard. I'm trying to make her be, not crazy but… well she crazy in love I guess. What did you think of the crazy ritual to mark you as a "partnered pair?" I think if that was real I'd be thinking of how to dig a tunnel to freedom.

Anyway review and if you participate, good luck on getting the right answers!


	9. Shifting tides

Authors note: Sorry this took so long. I'll explain at the bottom. I'm sure you all don't want to read it before you see if I've lost my touch with this story! I hope this was well worth the wait.

Important note for this chapter! I know this is the concert and Kentin comes along for this. But I am only on episode 12 so I haven't had any interaction with him to know his personality. So for my story he hasn't come back just yet and may not ever do so…. Another love interest for Lucia might be too much for me to juggle at this juncture.

As for the Deborah thing I have plans for it. I've researched her a bit so I'm confident I can keep her in character a bit better than I should be able to having not met her yet.

Disclaimer: Only Lucia is mine…

Chapter start

"A concert?" Lucia looked up at Lysander.

It had been a few weeks after the fight. Both she and Rosalya had healed up nicely enough. The bruises had faded. Sometimes though she caught Castiel staring at her neck.

She was currently sitting cross-legged on her desk during a free period. She had debated if she wanted to go and sleep but Lysander stalled her.

"Yes. I think it would be a good idea. A way to raise some money…" Lysander mumbled.

Lucia yawned slightly and stretched languidly. A concert that Lysander thought was a good idea meant one thing. A concert that Castiel thought was a bad idea. She could already catch the thread of this conversation.

"And this concerns me how? If you want me to sing or something don't bother." She grinned playfully. "Unless you want a crow."

Lysander smiled vaguely. "No that isn't it. This is to make up for the money lost during the orienting event." Here he looked at her.

Lucia held his gaze with absolutely zero shame. She and Castiel had been partners during the event. They had been doing fine collecting the items. But when it had seemed that Lysander and Nathaniel would beat them he had dragged her off the path. And then he had proceeded to get them hopelessly lost. The night had ended with Lysander coming to find Castiel sleeping on her lap and her dozing against the tree they'd sat down at.

Two good things happened after that. She had burned that horridly sexless track suit minus the shoes. They were comfortable enough. And she had pissed Amber off on double counts. Castiel had put Amber down and continued to hang with Lucia and then they had taken her glory at cheating to win the race.

"Hey don't blame me. I'm a good girl." Lucia said."

Lysander cocked a graceful brow at her. "Oh, really? Beyond the dubiousness of that statement then… when I spoke to Castiel about the idea he was quiet annoyed. The others and I thought perhaps if you spoke to him…"

"What am I, the animal trainer?" Lucia snorted. "Alright, alright. I'll go wow him with my puppy dog face."

"Good luck." He said with a small chuckle.

Lucia hopped off her desk and went to find her red headed annoyance. The halls were relatively full so she crossed off finding him in the halls. She pushed her way through the masses and wandered through the courtyard. Her eyes narrowed in small annoyance that he wasn't there either. He wouldn't be in the gym because a class was going on in there.

She found Castiel in the garden doing what she wanted.

"Lucky bastard. I wanna sleep." She grumbled as she sat by him, preparing to wake him up.

She poked his cheek a few times. Then she smacked him gently. "Little baby, wakey-wakey."

She sighed when he didn't even budge. And people called her a heavy sleeper! Waking him up was like waking the dead. It just wasn't done.

"Castiel I have a confession to make." Her voice had dropped to a near whisper, choked with some emotion. She noted he stirred faintly with it. "I… I think that I… love… Nathaniel. There I said it. I LOVE NATHANIEL!"

To her great mirth he jerked awake. His eyes were wide as he looked at her in horror. She cracked up and fell onto the ground beside him as she held her side. That alone made him melt a bit. It wasn't often that Lucia laughed a lot.

"You… I can't believe… how many times will you fall for that!" She smiled.

"Shooter! That isn't a joking thing!" He snapped in irritation. But she was too busy laughing to pay him and his wounded pride any attention.

Lucia choked on her laughter when she was rolled under him and he had her throat cupped in his calloused palm. Then she smirked, her eyes falling so she gazed at him with half lidded eyes. He was so close to breaking it wasn't funny anymore.

"Shooter those are very dangerous words coming out of your mouth. Take my advice and leave them for Melody." He warned in a low voice.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Well how else am I supposed to wake you up? And it isn't like you've put a claim in on me. I can say whatever I want." She taunted happily.

Only she could taunt and be so happy doing it, he thought violently. He kissed her fiercely just to shut her up. His tongue spread her lips easily and she parted her teeth to accept him. Lucia always accepted his kisses, regardless of her mood. It was odd how she submitted so readily sometimes.

With Castiel his passion was tied in with his happiness and also his anger. To him there was nothing better than an angry kiss. It was violent and messy and love had nothing to do with it. Suddenly as he kissed her and tangled his hand in her hair he saw a flash. Suddenly it wasn't Lucia in his arms anymore. It was… her….

Her blue eyes were filled with lust and her lips full from his kisses. Her brown hair, normally so perfectly immaculate was mussed. Unable to resist his eyes softened and he kissed the lips with slow gentleness.

Lucia tensed with the new kiss. Castiel had never been so gentle and careful, like she would break. She wasn't entirely sure she liked it. She knew however she didn't trust it. It left a bad feeling in her gut.

Annoyed now she twisted her face away. "Calm it down lover boy. I didn't come here for a kiss from you."

Castiel blinked in surprise as the image of Deborah evaporated. It left him feeling slightly sick that he could have Lucia in his arms and imagine his ex. She seemed annoyed for some reason and for a wild moment he thought he might have called her Deborah.

"Don't ever kiss me like that again, understand?" She said coolly. "I'm not one of your little birdies that'll break if you're just using me."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He snapped.

Lucia was changing right before him. He half suspected some of her memories were partially surfacing. She seemed very concentrated sometimes and then others odd bits of personality he didn't associate with her burst free. This was one of those moments where she seemed almost hateful of his very touch. Even her eyes were empty, as though basic feeling for anyone was beneath her.

"What? You'd rather I tear you to shreds with my hands?" He asked, angry now. He didn't like what had happened but he had the grace to admit it shouldn't have happened. He preferred their usual kissing as well but he wouldn't be angry about it.

Her eyes went completely dull as if she was closing off from him. He wanted to shake her for it to get his Lucia back with him. "It's all I know."

Before he could respond a voice burst through their words. "O-oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were back here so…"

Lucia gasped and it was like some trance was broken. Her eyes widened and life returned to them in a wave. She wrapped her hands around his neck to pull him close, placing her lips to his ear. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Again his response was not heard as she shifted from under him. "Violette! You weren't interrupting anything. What's up?" Lucia spread her arms to accept the girls hug.

"Lysander sent me to…"

At that moment Castiel tuned her out. He focused his eyes on Lucia. She was back… gentle and cheerful and kind of not there… this was his Lucia.

Were her memories there lurking under the very thin layer of forgetfulness? An uneasy feeling stirred in him. Would he lose this Lucia to some darker, twisted human he couldn't understand? One who, from her slipups lately seemed to be very sexual and above thinking of others beyond mild curiosity that was easily shelved.

"Oh yeah! Hey numbskull."

Castiel looked at her. "What do you want? To fawn over my amazing self?" He smirked. It didn't matter to him. He would keep this Lucia somehow.

"Ha, ha, ha… no. Do the concert with Lysander. Or else I'll tell everyone where your tickle spot is."

"I don't have a tickle spot." He retorted.

She grinned. "Yeah, I know that. But they don't. Do you really want a bunch of people coming up to see if it's true?"

"Look it doesn't matter anyway. My amp is broken and I don't have the money to replace it right now." He said.

"Oh really… well that's alright. I'll pay for it." Lucia said.

"Its two hundred dollars Shooter." Castiel stood and crossed his arms.

She returned his stare with a strange look, like she was surprised he'd protest and she was again leaving. "It's just money Castiel. What's it matter? It's a rubbish thing anyway."

She sounded so like Shooter he let his annoyance go. Relief instead broke through and he smirked putting his hand on his hip. "No ones forcing you, Shooter. All those things you and Rosalya buy… you can't say you're one of those girls who think they don't need money." He teased.

She sighed and gave a small wave of her hand. "I don't. But I also know my Wifey likes seeing me in pretty things. And besides a certain redhead has been caught staring at my chest since I met him." She added innocently.

Violette looked at him and blushed a bit. Where the friendship between a quiet little mouse and someone like Shooter sprung up he'd never understand.

"Who, me? Why would I stare at something non-existent?" He returned with ease. "If I wanted to look at something small as a cutting board I'd go stand in a kitchen."

Lucia rolled her eyes at his familiar retort when she taunted his inclination to let his eyes travel her. "If you know I'm flat as a cutting board as you say… you must have been staring."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Now then, concert."

She was looking at him expectantly and he recognized the look. It was her I'm-not-dropping-this-until-I-either-have-your-man hood-or-you-go-along-with-me look.

"Yeah, fine. You'll need to find us more members though. Lysander and I are the only ones."

Violette spoke up. "Um… Armin plays the drums… and Iris is asking her Brother if she can borrow his guitar."

Lucia cocked a brow at him. "Well then?"

He bowed mockingly. "That would probably work."

"There, wasn't so hard. Come on Violette…. Oh wait a second! When should we go get the amp?"

Castiel looked at her. "I can't go with you today." He asked Violette for a piece of paper that he wrote directions on for Lucia. "Here. Even you shouldn't be able to miss it."

"Aw such faith in me." She mocked.

Later Lucia was walking through town with Alexy, her new best friend. He had an innocent charm yet at the same time a pure sass that reminded her of Rosalya. He wasn't as aggressive about making her dress up though thankfully. Rosalya had developed the habit of ripping her clothes off as soon as she entered Leigh's shop and dragging her to the changing rooms.

The last time had been a shock to the poor brothers living there. Lucia hadn't felt like being a doll since she was tired and had been snapping waspishly at the other girl. The changing rooms were tight quarters to be thrashing in though. The Brothers had been coming to see what all the noise was.

Before Leigh could knock the door had burst open to spill Lucia to the floor. Rosalya was on top of her with her hands clenched on a gray v-neck. She had been trying to tug on the resisting Lucia but to Leigh and Lysander it looked the opposite way since it had ridden up to her neck during the fall.

Lucia was telling Alexy about it now.

"See things like that never happen to me." He said with a small pout.

"Ah but you wouldn't want a girl to fall on top of you. Or have you decided to announce that Violette has turned you back?" She asked teasingly.

Alexy cuffed her gently. "As if! And besides Vi isn't too distraught about it anyway."

"And you base this great knowledge on…?"

"My charm!" He said promptly. When she just looked at him he grinned. "Oh alright. I saw her talking to that Lysander guy you hang with. Which reminds me do you think he'd tell me where he got those clothes?"

"Somehow I doubt he'd be up for getting down and dirty with a talk about fashion. But I can tell you that Leigh, his Brother probably made them."

"Hmm. Then I shall talk to Leigh! Hey, is this the place?"

Lucia glanced up to the shop he pointed out. She blinked in disbelief. Never before had she seen a tackier looking store. She had to turn a laugh into a cough.

There was a horridly neon green musical note on the door set around a connection of sheet music stickers.

"… Castiel shops here?" She muttered. "I guess this is the place…"

They went in and Lucia immediately felt horridly out of place. Though no more than Alexy with his bright blue hair and the fact he wore the total antithesis of rocker brands.

"Let's just get the amp quick. I heard there is a sale at that new boutique in the city. We could drive there." Alexy ushered her to the counter.

The man behind it was like a little Kiss wannabe. The only thing missing was the studded leather. For her whole life Lucia prayed she never understood why people wanted to paint there faces up like a dark clowns.

His voice was gravelly from too many cigarettes. He reeked of his precious cancer sticks and there was even an ash tray jammed pack with the butts. Lucia quickly did her business and bolted from the store with Alexy on her heels.

Once they were back out they laughed. They ended up having to call a taxi. Castiel had forgotten to mention his amp weighed a ton. Lucia scolded herself for not exercising more to keep her strength up.

They stopped at Leigh's store. Lysander was there with Rosalya who quickly saw their predicament. Being the gentleman he was Lysander took the amp in with more ease than they could have. He vanished into the back with it and left Lucia to stand with her two cloth obsessed friends. The two were having a hard core fashion discussion. After awhile they started looking at her.

Her red eyes shifted to the window uneasily. She used it as an excuse to edge from them, getting closer to it and the door. The looks they were both giving her were growing more obvious as they whispered together. Lucia had to force herself to not duck into a rack of clothes to try and hide.

"Wifey! You aren't going anywhere!" Rosalya said suddenly.

"Who, me?" Innocent wasn't her strong suit.

Rosalya and Alexy exchanged amused looks at her lame smile and obvious stall tactic.

"Yes, you. With the help of Alexy I've realized I haven't out enough color into your wardrobe." Rosalya stated.

Lucia saw the thread and tried to avoid it. At first she hadn't minded Rosalya clothing her but lately… something had been shifting in her. Whatever it was it was causing ripples. She was looking at people differently. She saw more and more she was becoming wary of.

Lucia could have sworn she could trust them all with herself. Now there was a niggling voice, her own from a time ago, saying there was only one person who could be trusted. She had to find that person. She was being driven from within but she couldn't move. Something was keeping her tethered to this life where she flirted with the danger in Castiel and let herself be led by Rosalya.

It was an odd feeling, being torn in two. She wanted to relax into this life she now had. She wanted to remember everything she had forgotten. It was like she was constantly running somewhere but she kept turning so that she just ended up running in the same circle, unable to move forward and unable to go back.

_This isn't real. This isn't you. This life isn't yours. Remove the veil covering you… remember it…_

"Earth to Lucia! Where on earth did you go just now?" Alexy scolded with his usual cheery smile.

Lucia gasped. It felt like she was coming from a place deep under water, resurfacing. Her eyes were wide and unfocused. Her voice, what did she want?

She realized that her friends were watching her now with worry. Sweat slipped down forehead. It was then she realized in an absent matter her left hand had come up to clutch her head while the right clenched the Sapphire necklace she always wore.

With a sigh she released the necklace. Her other hand she lowered only slightly, running it along her neck to gather the sweat and massage a bit. Her head tilted to accommodate the new position as she forced a tired and wan smile to her lips. Lately a tired smile felt like all she could muster.

"If I divorce you will this be any easier on me?" She asked.

Rosalya hesitantly smiled back. "Not a chance. Lucia are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I just got distracted."

"But Lucia-"

"I said I'm FINE!" She snapped, unable to resist. The fastly becoming familiar rush bit into her skin. _This isn't me!_

"What's this? It's rare that you haven't dragged Lucia into her undergarments by now… is something the matter?" Lysander had emerged from the back to see the unusual sight.

Alexy and Rosalya exchanged looks again when Lucia turned and swore under her breath. Lysander caught the phrase and glanced at his unusual friend. His eyes narrowed when he saw the distraction writ on her face. It was happening more and more lately. It wasn't the distraction of a girl wrapped in daydreams. It was the distraction of an unstable person.

From the minute he met her he had been aware of a split to her, they all had been after knowing her. He had chalked it up to her memory loss. It had long since become a concrete thing to him that she shouldn't regain her memories. He had looked it up after a few witnessing of this other self inside her.

It was said that a person with memory loss suffered heavy headaches that could cause them to lash out. A wolf caught in a trap, as it were. Lucia hadn't been very violent lately but every now and then something came over her. She would snap at them, always very sorry after. It had started happening after that funny business in the park.

"… Well, Leigh made you something Lucia." Lysander said quietly, hoping to bring her from the cloud hovering.

"Yes, he did! You've done so much for us. You fixed our relationship and you've been an amazing friend. We wanted to thank you for being there for us." Rosalya put in excitedly.

For a moment Lucia looked at them blankly before she blinked. The exhaustion in her eyes was painful to see.

"You guys didn't have to do that. I helped because I wanted to."

"Yes, well we did, so come try it on. It's absolutely perfect for the concert!" Rosalya grabbed her by her arm and tugged her forward. The momentum was wrong however because it seemed Lucia hadn't been supporting herself by more than an unreliable amount. She stumbled to the ground and sat there for a moment, breathing heavily, jerking away from Rosalya in the process.

Lysander was swift in his actions. "Rosalya why don't you go get the dress? You could show Alexy the new fabrics Leigh ordered as well." Translation, give me a moment.

Rosalya looked at him before nodding. She was fully capable of admitting when something was beyond her. Lucia wasn't the best of friends, sometimes showing a preference to be pushed around rather than actively engage in anything but when it counted she was there for them. So Rosalya grasped Alexy who followed hesitantly.

In the new silence Lysander looked down at Lucia for a moment before kneeling on front of her. He reached to gently pull her hands away from her head. She raised glassy and feverish eyes up to him before she tugged weakly. When he refused to release her she sighed and whimpered a bit, leaning her head against some clothes hanging beside her.

"Lucia if something is wrong I hope you feel comfortable enough to talk to me about it." He said patiently.

Lucia wanted to laugh in his face. Talk to him? As if he or any one of them could understand the things she was feeling!

_This isn't me!_

Rather than laugh aloud Lucia chuckled a bit even as she tried to gather her thoughts to spill.

"I just don't know anymore Lysander. It's like… like there's this thing. It's inside me, all the time now. This anger… and this deep… fear and denial. I… I feel such hatred at something… someone… but then so guilty. Aria hates me for some reason, she wants me dead… but I only feel this pity when I think about her, some regret… I haven't done anything differently. I'm not trying to remember things. But they're coming in these great waves and dreams, all the time."

"You're remembering things?" He prompted with a frown, looking over her shoulder as he tried to make sense of what she said.

She laughed suddenly and it was such a weak thing he felt pity. "I can't make sense of any of it. I remember learning to fight and that it was very important I could. I don't know why. I remember… blood, everywhere. I think I must be going nuts."

"You know you'd make a good priest. This isn't a confession booth by any chance? She asked with a smile.

Lysander saw that she had stopped sweating. Her eyes weren't glassy anymore but they were dull. So he allowed a small smile to touch his lips. Hardly. I believe you have to be Catholic to become a priest."

"Really? I never was a religious sort. Even then…"

"Lucia?" He prompted again.

She made a soft noise in the back of her throat. "I'm kind of scared Lysander. I'm scared of disappearing. But is it right for me to exist when I might have been something totally different before? What makes it right for the person I was to just vanish and be swallowed?"

"What makes it right for you to have to go?" he returned.

"It's just… I'm fighting something. I'm fighting it when I'm awake, when I sleep and… I'm starting to get my ass handed to me. I'm losing."

Lysander wasn't sure what to say in response to that. He glanced up to maybe get some inspiration. What he saw made him blink.

Castiel stood there to the side of them. His gaze was riveted on Lucia. An insane thought crossed his mind in that instant as he looked at his friend who had a mixture of rage and fear in his eyes.

It was perfectly okay and natural for him not to sense Castiel there. Normally Lucia however was the first to note a new presence, especially Castiel's. They were fine tuned to each other. Why hadn't Lucia noticed him before?

It took Castiel dropping the bag he carried to get her to glance up at him. A mild recognition flit through her gaze before it returned to that same dullness. Castiel dropped beside her and gathered her in his arms. It was an uncharacteristic move for him. He was being gentle but firm.

"Listen to me." He said in a low voice that shook with his anger. "Lucia, I said listen. The person you are now is the real you. I don't give a damn about anything else. The person here now is the only you that has any right to exist."

She looked like she was at war with herself again, a violent retort warring with a need to submit to the firmness of that tone, so like his own… in the end she sighed and nodded before allowing herself to be pulled up.

On the roof of the building across from them a figure tossed a headset away from them in mild disgust. It had been so close… it still was. Soon, very soon she would be at a point when she could have her own awakening. Just one more fatal push and…

"So nothing yet?" A cool female voice asked.

The figure turned to see his few returning companions. They were all that was left. The others were either dead or still sleeping, trapped in the false lives that had been created for them. The five of them had been able to break free of the chains placed on them. Soon he hoped Lucia would be a returning member as well. Then they could carry out their plans…

"I think were almost there. She's remembering things. I've been watching her. Soon she'll be to the point where she can't sleep because of the dreams. The exhaustion will open her up more, like it did last time and for all of us."

Another man stepped forward. "And this isn't going to hurt her?"

The obvious leader cocked a brow. "Did it hurt you?"

Red eyes narrowed in hate. "You know damned well it did. It hurt all of us; it pushed bodies that had gone soft. In the lives the Organization gave us we didn't need to be trained Killers, we were allowed to go soft. Hell, we were practically led to it."

"But you survived. And aren't you happier with the veil off?"

"You're such a bastard." The younger male spat.

Across town Tata picked up her cell phone. "Hello there?"

Locke came across loud and clear. "We have a problem. I need you to get in here now and collar Lucia back at your place."

The chipper and naïve façade drained away as her hand tightened on the cell. "I'm on my way."

End chapter.

_**AUTHOR NOTE: **_So I'd like you all to join me in a moment of silence for the flash drive….. Not kidding. If you were one of the ones that read my one-shot "The way things should be" you know that I rely very heavily on my flash drives. All my chapters to all my stories were stored on my little shiny device. And I broke it. Unfortunately my Cousin wasn't able to recover all the data from it and what he did recover wasn't the chapters I most needed. What I got were chapters down the line with no way to anglicize or shift over to go in as eight. And my memory is as bad if not worse than a gold-fish so I couldn't recall how exactly I connected them up to the end. So I'm scrapping them.

It hurts a bit because I was proud of my work. I'll still pull things from the chapters I was able to get back. This has been a difficult thing to do. I pulled up word so many times only to stare blankly at the screen before deciding I wanted a nap. In fact this would have probably dies if not for the fact I had some reviews that spurred me. I decided I don't want to let it die because I still do have plans for it.

This chapter may feel a little forced at first but I hope you all can ignore that. The flow didn't come back to me until about halfway through. This was more of a filler than anything. Once I drag Deborah from the deep I'll be able to mix my regained chapters better. And she will be making her appearance within a chapter or two.

So I hope you all enjoyed this. I know the wait was long and I can never explain how sorry I am for the few who were waiting for leave a review on how the comeback was if you please. I'd like some feedback to know some people are still interested in this at least. Until next time, good-bye!

Special thanks fo out to Wolvwsrule and Germandelights and Whiteangel and "Guest." (come forward with a name so I can thank you properly) The fact that you guys reviewed even after my months of waffling brought this back to my mind. So thank you very much for again for making me turn back to this ficition... now I'm really done!

... okay, not done. German what is a Daywalker? I'm... not up to speed on it... do you mean a vampire?


	10. Shifting emotions

**Author note:**

**German:** you are awesome. I'll stop torturing you about what Lucia is soon, Promise. As for the cookies… yay! And thanks for explaining the daywalker. I had no clue they were called that. (Sad since I used to be a die-hard Anne Rice stalker. Ah, Lestat and Louis and Armand… they don't make them like you anymore… though Damon had my interest for a long time)

**Imissthemisery:** You're username is an awesome song. Now I must go listen to it! Ah, really? I haven't ever heard of that anime, is it good? Hmm, I can't remember where I saw that or heard about name carving. I remember just sitting there trying to think of a way to make things twist more in this story and it popped out from nowhere. I ran with it.

**Yuki:** It's always nice to hear from people who were interested enough to check back. It helps to know people are waiting. I can only hope this was well worth the wait for you and if not that I can improve it.

Well to move forward then. Hello all! Now keep in mind I haven't yet played the concert episode so what I have on it is… well… messy. I retain things better if I myself play through it rather than watch others. I'm debating replaying 12 as well since I messed up and told Melody the truth. Nathaniel despises me now… (Went from his fifties, to eleven, and then to negative 2. Bloody sensitive he is. And fickle!) I have yet to decide if I care. Regardless I hope you all enjoy this.

**Disclaimer:** I own more characters now. Still not the ones that made me go to the site though.

* * *

_**Chapter start:**_

The dress Rosalya and Leigh had given her laid in the backseat of Auntie's car. The fairy dresser was unusually quiet. She had come to pick Lucia up from the clothing store.

She had found her "niece" fast asleep on a pretty girl with white hair. Apparently she had mentioned a headache. Lucia had an amazing pain tolerance and it was always in her to work through pain. Yet it had been too much for the girl and she had ended up passing out after vomiting.

Castiel had been very against moving her. He had huffed at her and left the room when Tata put her foot down. He had returned to carry her to the car. Tata hadn't missed the tender look on his face.

Unable to resist she patted him on the arm and gave a reassuring glance to the others. "Don't worry. You'll have her back better than ever by tomorrow." When they had been out of sight Tata inserted a needle into Lucia and injected a clear liquid.

That had been over an hour ago. Tata had passed her apartment building and kept driving. They were now traveling down the highway into the nearby city. Locke had brought his decision down after a lengthy talk with her and Raisha both.

"_You can't be serious Locke." Raisha turned away from him in disgust. _

_Tata sat meekly in the plush chair, her cup of tea sitting forgotten as she tried to bury her inner instincts over Lucia with her minds instincts. _

"_What else can I do Raisha? Give me anything and I'll give it the utmost consideration. They aren't going away. If we let them get her back we'll be the ones in trouble." Locke snapped as he ran a hand through his hair._

_Tata sighed and leaned back in the seat. Her head was aching as was her chest. When could this all just be over with? "And to think… none of us thought that they could come back after the last hit."_

_Locke looked at her. "I'm aware of the statistical facts. We decimated well over half his numbers and took out plenty of the Advanced he had under him. The ones we couldn't kill we did like Lucia. And that was my fatal mistake." _

_Raisha spun around. "Don't say that! Lucia is a good person and she was then too! It wasn't a mistake giving them a new life."_

"_You can't blame yourself. Nobody could have imagined that he could still function after such a blow." Tata added._

"_I don't regret it. What I did was at the moment the best decision for all of us. My main issue is Lucia at the moment. I don't know how they found her but I do know we can't let her go active again. This time she'd have our own betrayal to lead her and that could alter her whole make-up."_

_Raisha was stubborn though. "Even so we can't just keep her locked up again. That nearly killed her the last time."_

_As if Locke needed reminding of the severe spiritual damage he'd put her through before he'd realized his error. If he could avoid it he never wanted to see any person looking like Lucia had on the day of her execution. She had been dull and accepting, indifferent. _

_Had he not intervened then she would be decaying in an unmarked grave now. Instead his Father was dead by his own hand and Lucia was becoming unstable thanks to her surfacing memories. And more had been awoken again and gone into active duty again. It was a bitch covering up the murders and an even worse thing to deal with the backlashes._

"_We won't lock her up again, I promise. We'll just… talk to her. We'll make her see why we did what we did and hopefully she'll understand it wasn't in an attempt to harm her. Hopefully we can make her understand and maybe even help us. Ideally we can just tell her things and when she regains her full memory she'll let it rest. If not we'll have to do something then. We can't let her roam if she intends to serve them again." _

Tata chewed her lip as she glanced at Lucia who slept peacefully beside her. After Lucia saw Raisha and Locke again would she be the same? Some differences would occur of course. But would she hate them? Tata cared deeply for the girl. It would kill her to know Lucia felt ill towards her.

Tata sighed and redirected her attention to the road. Thankfully the road was mostly empty due to the fact not many people traveled to the small town they called home and even fewer commuted to work on a daily basis.

Lucia muttered a name. It jostled Tata to here it. Her eyes darted to look at the girl again. Lucia had curled slightly, a soft smile pulling at her lips as she sighed the name again.

Tata was torn between feeling glad the dream Lucia was having was sweet or being horrified at the dreams contents. The decision was jerked, literally, from her hands. The glass of her windshield shattered in her face as a bullet embedded in her seat.

She took swift note of the person on the road now. Rather than slow down Tata gunned her gas petal. Right before a collision was done the person jumped gracefully onto the still moving cars front end. Tata slammed the breaks in an effort to get the young girl off.

Unfortunately she seemed well trained. Her knees bent to keep her balance as she flowed with the movement. An arm lifted gracefully to point the gun directly in tata's face.

There was barely enough time to jerk to the left. The bullet stung her shoulder and blood spurted out as she hissed a curse. It had been many years since Tata had been shot or injured in any way, shape, or form.

Now she was really ticked. She glared right back at her smiling attacker, cataloguing the red eyes and pale hair as she yanked out her own gun. She fired once and then twice, ignoring the glass shattering around her. The girl rolled from the car easily. Tata followed her out and they both ended up staring at each other.

The girl was smiling but it didn't reach her eyes. The gun hung from her hand while her other was placed on her hip casually. She wore a pair of tight leather pants and an almost non existent top. The word "fang' was embedded right along her collarbone and surrounded by eyes.

"So you were awoken too?" Tata asked quietly. "Ciera?"

Ciera chuckled a bit. "Why so surprised? You can't really tell me you expected that silly little machine to cancel out our real self's."

The face was one of angelic serenity. Ciera had features as soft as a baby and the voice and body of a thirteen year old girl before the changes. In fact she was seventeen and was one of the more bloody operatives that had been active.

"We weren't trying to erase who you are." Tata said imploringly. "We were trying to protect you all and give you chances to be who you would have been had they not polluted you!"

Ciera's face hardened a bit as she scoffed. "They gave all of us a home when no one else wanted us."

Tata tsked. Ciera had already rejected the life they had given her after her memory had been stripped. Still, she had to try. The Ciera of the last few months had been gentle and caring to the little boy she lived with and loving to the people who had adopted her. She had made friends.

"We were trying to help. Can you really say that you weren't happy?"

"Happy or not, right or wrong. The fact is it wasn't your choice to decide. You took more freedom than our Leader ever did. At least he gave us a purpose!" Ciera snapped. "And what is more… Lucia was happy then. We all were. We had our partners, the ones we loved and trusted… now thanks to you… some of us don't have them anymore and the ones that do…" Ciera added with certain malice and glee. "And once she awakens to it all she'll agree with me!"

Tata shifted closer to her car. "You aren't touching her. I loved the Lucia then and I love the one who I've been calling my Niece. Once we talk it over-"

"You think that a Lucia with all her memories will trust you?" Ciera laughed. "Please you'd be lucky to not get a broken neck for the trouble. You hunted her after gaining her trust. And then you even let her see her partner dead. I bet… she hates and curses you and that Leader of yours very existences."

Tata cursed as a wave of dizziness hit her. She stumbled a bit. "W-what the hell?"

Ciera regarded her with cool eyes. "Retirement does not suit you "Auntie." To forget one of our more common tricks is just stupid."

"The bullet was… poisoned." Tata let out a small laugh in disbelief.

"When we mean to kill you we will, even at the cost of our own lives. Incidentally the poison is extremely diluted. You won't die. Consider it a warning. If you try and trick Lucia more we'll kill not only you but her as well."

"I'm trying to save her!" Tata snapped on another wave of dizziness as her stomach muscles clenched and heaved.

"Oh, whatever pretty delusions you want to spin." Ciera waved a hand dismissively. "But you are going to let her regain her memories. We'll leave her and you alone until then. After she Awakens, let her decide who she wants to cast herself with. Agree to it or else I'll cut you down here and now."

Tata grimaced as she recognized the inflexibility in the playful voice. She couldn't die here, like this. She had Lucia to think about and more than that… Ciera was wrong, they all were.

Though it bit into her she nodded tensely. "Fine."

"Good then." Ciera lifted her hand to her earring and pressed a hidden button on it. She regarded Tata with a charming air and a victorious smile.

Tata glanced down the road when she heard the roar of a highly modified motorcycle. It sped straight for Ciera, stopping only an inch from her legs. The girl didn't miss a single beat as she turned to get on. The male held her arm as she mounted it and let his fingers linger there.

With a small sigh Tata realized this was Ciera's partner Stanton. Another Advanced that had been ripped from their jurisdiction. He looked at Tata with pure indifference as he revved the bike back to purring life.

"Oh! Like I said the poison was diluted. You should be good to move about in, oh lets see, an hour. Ciao!" Ciera waved as the bike swung around and roared down the street. Tata could hear her laughter echo over the engine.

She struggled back to her own car. She slipped into her seat and glanced at the unmoving Lucia. The sleeping drug must have been effective since the girl hadn't stirred despite the noise.

Tata would keep her word even if it was like bile going down her throat. That was what made her herself.

"I wonder how lost she'll be with those damn memories… will she forgive us?" the thought was the last she had before she passed out.

Locke sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. The fact that Tata would make a deal like that… he stopped himself from saying something he'd regret. Even if it was just a thought it would still be disrespectful to the cheerful woman. And though he could be ruthless and cold he would never do or say anything he knew beforehand would hurt the woman.

Raisha came in to give him a swift kiss. Her eyes lighted on the opened folder on his terminal. The pictures showed an accurate description of Lucia down to her former weight before they'd erased her memories and even her clothing style and walk. Another page crossed with her partner and the missions they'd made.

This wasn't even half of the missions she had carried out. The people she was with were legends at leaving no trace of themselves. The only thing that would connect them was the people they used but even they had been trained to withhold information under extreme torture. And if you managed to drag an Advanced in alive and tried to get one of them to talk… well. You deserved the headaches their taunting and sheer stubbornness would give you.

"What are you doing?" Raisha asked.

Briefly Locke gave her an explanation. His Partner looked slightly sick. "Would they really kill her though?"

"Probably. They aren't made to feel affection to anyone but their partner. And even that can be erased by a simple order."

The weariness in his eyes hurt Raisha. She turned his chair to kneel before him, her hands placed on his thighs. "Not always. Nothing could erase you from my mind or make me forget you."

Locke studied her for a moment, allowing himself to be pulled from his swirling thoughts. Only Raisha could make him pause. Her eyes were as bright as polished rubies and her hair was down and he had a fanciful thought it was like a liquid flame, the sun striking the clear river of red clay perfectly in morning light.

Unable to resist he pulled her from her position of submission and into his lap to savage her with his mouth, smashing her with his passion. Her words rang through him. NOTHING… nothing could erase him from her and it was vice versa. The question he had to ask was if that was where they'd gone wrong.

Had they created this new problem? By separating the Advanced pairs so they could become their own person had he instead been attempting to tear apart bonds as strong as the one he and Raisha shared?

When he thought of how broken Lucia was when she saw her partner dead in the cabin he felt sick. After that rage had abated and she recognized she had no one to tell her what to do or protect she had before his eyes withered. He had held the bloody and battered body of Raisha as Lucia returned to sanity, captured by two of his Father's guards. He himself had been dealt a paralyzing blow to his left arm that still caused a phantom pain when he remembered it.

Everything she had done under his orders and urging was there in her mind, festering. Her partner had been there to sooth the feelings of guilt from her, had been there to tell her she wasn't bad for being raised to admire chaos. Now he wasn't there and all that suppressed guilt welled up and did the one thing no torture could do. It shattered an Advanced.

When it looked like Raisha would die, infected by an unknown poison they couldn't cure he had began chipping at her, blinded in his consuming grief. He had made her relive each one of her horrid actions, but most often the thing she had done to Raisha.

"_I hate myself so much anymore… I really, truly, regret even living."_

The words had burned in him after he heard her utter them. Despite that he hunted the other Advanced pairs under his Father's orders. Even though he knew what it had done to Lucia and even to him when Raisha wasn't there he caught them alive, he staged horrid death scenes for them. One would come home to see a battered form of their partner and become broken like Lucia. In reality their partner had been knocked out with a living death and both of them were thrown in the dungeon prisons to rot like Lucia, unknowing their partner was mere cells from them.

Then Lucia had unintentionally broken through to him.

"_The wounds smell like poppy seeds, burning poppy seeds…" She muttered as he stood before her with clenched fists. She hadn't flinched when he punched her. Her lip was split and bleeding and she didn't bother to wipe the liquid from the wound. _

"_So what?" He'd snapped. As far as he was aware Lucia had taken the only person capable of making him remain sane. _

"_The poison was one of his signatures. It is various poisons put together. But most of all… the largest ingredient comes from a flower he had spliced. He kept plenty of antidotes in the… where we were." Even then she rejected admitting they'd lived in the small cabin. _

_Locke hadn't believed her and yet… he went, telling himself he was a fool and an idiot. She probably wanted him away so Raisha would die alone. It was something only one of his hated enemies would conjure, to make him live with the festering guilt he'd left Raisha alone…_

_Yet there the antidote was in a brown bottle with a red seal. To his and the others great shock it worked. Raisha began_ _to regain strength. Her fever broke and her eyes lost their mad and glistening look._

_She had recovered slowly. But not at the rate an Advanced should have. It was slow like a normal beings healing… and she was weaker. _

"_It's because of how long the poison was in her. It spread like a virus inside, polluting her cells and sapping her strength. By the end of it she would have looked like an old shriveled hag, if the antidote hadn't been administered." Lucia was dull in her response. _

_Suddenly it hurt him terribly to see it. The first thing Raisha had asked about had been the girl. How could he tell her that she had become a shadow? How could he say that the venom he spewed at her on a daily basis had continued to beat at her until only a pathetic slip of a human sat against the wall, never eating and shriveling before him? How could he say that the girl who saved her life was miserable because of them?_

_A few weeks passed. He stopped tormenting Lucia and the others. He looked at them all now with something akin to pity. They were all so lost. It would have hurt him if Raisha died, but it wouldn't have completely incapacitated him. But they were now indifferent to most things. _

_Despite the fact that they were separate from their partners they held on to the rules they'd been given. They wouldn't talk about the missions they'd done or the bases that were hidden throughout the world. It didn't matter the torture they were out through or the threats. They might not have taunted as they once would have at capture but they were definitely defiant and unyielding still. _

_And then the day came when his Father declared Lucia useless to remain living. The day of her execution… he had been deployed with the team sent to collect her in case she fought. _

_But when he held out his hand she flinched away for only a second, perhaps thinking of being hit. Then she took it and let the cuffs be put around her hands. When they'd gotten her to the sterile room they kept for killing she laid down on the table placidly._

_Locke had fought bitterly with his Father to let the girl be put to sleep first. He had one but it had cost him. It had cost him dearly, two ribs and a few fingers, not to mention a horridly sickening black eye. Lucia merely sighed when the shot was injected to make her sleep._

_The second needle had barely pierced her skin when the unfairness of it all welled in him. She and her partner hadn't been active during their capture. Though the partner had not been friendly he had been polite after he'd caught Locke and Raisha around Lucia and determined her to not be a threat. _

_Yes, Lucia had very nearly killed Raisha. But she had been lost in rage and grief at her own partner's death by people she had unwittingly trusted and became close to. Her one time trusting another besides her partner had ended in blood. In a situation like that… who wouldn't react that way? _

"_STOP!" The cry had ripped from his throat. _

_In two quick strides he had reached the nurse administering the shots and knocked her away and sent the lethal needle flying. His Father had regarded him with cool eyes and assumed that Locke wanted the girl to be awake to feel the pain. Or that he'd wanted to administer her death himself. _

_They had ended up fighting, the others staying out of it since whoever did win would be their new leader. His father would have won too. Locke was weaker than him physically and he wasn't an Advanced like his Father. And he was already weakened by the previous fight coupled with pure mental and physical exhaustion. But his hand had closed over that syringe. Without thinking, only wanting to survive and make Raisha happy he had sent his Father to death…._

Locke sighed as he held Raisha to him. After that day Lucia hadn't awoken. She had slept on and on. Raisha had been insistent on seeing the girl and he knew he had to bury his secret, bury that he had warped the girl Raisha cared for. So he had injected another syringe in her and the other Advanced that his Father had captured.

A serum derived from various drugs and poisons that would erase their memories…

Lucia yawned and stretched languidly, rolling a bit… and promptly slipped from the couch in her Auntie's living room. She jerked up in shock and surprise. She didn't remember being here… wasn't she at the store with the others?

She heard water running in the other room. She listened to it for a moment before realizing something. She felt totally rested, no exhaustion clinging to her and no headache. Of course the bags under her eyes would tell a very different story but for now it was enough.

"Oh dear, you're up!" Tata had come in suddenly.

"Hello Auntie." It was a rare thing for Lucia to look at her Aunt without feeling guilt and anger. She was so happy to not face that her greeting was much warmer. She even gave her Aunt a hug.

Tata winced as her arms wrapped around her shoulders, particularly her left. She jerked back a bit before shifting her weight to hug Lucia differently. Lucia however had noted the shifting and it piqued her curiosity.

"What happened?"

Tata glanced to the hand that now rested gently on her left shoulder, very close to her wound. It had taken a minute but she had managed to pull the bullet out and had bandaged herself up nicely. In fact she wanted to give herself a pat on the back for doing so marvelously when she hadn't dressed a wound in years.

"Oh nothing. I just bumped my shoulder earlier." Tata was a bit sick with how easily the lie left her tongue. How many more lies would she tell Lucia?

The girl studied her intently for a moment. Tata tried to look her normal and chipper self. Lucia wasn't fooled and after a moment Tata was two seconds away from bursting into randomness to distract her.

"Say! Don't you have a concert to be getting ready for?!" Tata grinned in victory when Lucia shifted her eyelids. She had managed to distract her.

"Oh yeah… I guess I should get ready for it. If I don't go Castiel will freak… not to mention Rosa will hurt me…" Lucia wasn't too concerned about Castiel…. But she had since seen Rosalya angry and the girl was just plain scary. Running to Cuba wouldn't save you from the silver haired girl if you riled her up.

"Excellent. I put that red dress of yours in your closet." Tata turned away only to turn right back. "Oh by the way… after you and Castiel have some hot and sweaty fu-"

"Auntie!" Lucia scolded, cutting through the sentence.

"What? I was going to say fun! What kind of pervert do you think I am?"

Lucia grimaced before turning away and heading to her room. Retreat was the best solution to a silly question like that. After all the woman had brought over a Ken doll to simulate very silence inducing sex before…

"Well can you deny anymore that you like Castiel? Maybe even have a little love?" Tata followed her in a pouting huff. It would have been comical had it been any other conversation.

"I don't know." Lucia snapped as she changed.

Tata raised a brow. "Well it's better than your old "Love is useless" speech I guess."

"I still think that… I also think I'm an idiot a million times a day and I'm all kinds of stupid. But I guess… I can't help it."

Tata smiled. "No you can't. But beyond that I need you to start staying here again. I miss my Niece."

Lucia nodded vaguely. "Alright."

Rosalya had picked her up. And along the way had explained about the Armin incident. Apparently the twin had shown up with a bunch of guitar hero equipment. Castiel had been less than pleased but his mood soured even more at the replacement of Golden boy.

Lucia cocked a brow as she thought on how pleasant this meeting with Castiel would be. Rosalya had to drop her off on her own to find a parking spot. She handed Lucia her ticket before she drove off. For a moment Lucia watched her before she turned to forge through the crowd.

It was a mixture of parents, members of the community and students. The ticket moment went to whatever thing the Principal was trying to fund. Lucia had paid about ten seconds of attention to the old Lady before she had started thinking about chocolate pudding.

She made her way slowly to where the band was set up. She had to admit it, no matter how reluctantly… Nathaniel looked good. For an uptight little busy body that is. She couldn't help but look him over. And Melody, ever the faithful girlfriend at his side.

Looking at them Lucia wondered if her extreme inclination to scoff at love and its nonsense wasn't a bit… wrong.

Then Castiel was there before her. She had a moment to think that he was a bit like that Beetle juice guy, you think about him too often and he appears. Then his lips were against hers and she forgot all about her thoughts.

Castiel hadn't been able to stop thinking about her and if she was alright. He had been as bad as her, snapping over little things. Well, he hardly counted Golden Boy as little but… the point was now that she was here he was very against letting her go and all for dragging her into a dark corner and stripping her from the sexy little number she wore. Red always had been a favorite color of his but as much as he liked the dress he'd like turning her skin red more!

He had to admit it not only to himself but to her. He liked the girl in his arms far too much to be just friends with her, even if it came with awesome benefits. He wanted to posses her. More than anything he wanted to be able to smash his fist in others faces for looking at her with lust.

He gripped her tightly and smoothed his hands down her back as he finally moved his lips to her bare neck. He greedily inhaled her scent of vanilla and spice and something else that was just wholly her, wild and untamed.

"Lucia we need to talk as soon as this thing is over, understand?" He said in a whisper. He was doing it. He would make her his or let her go tonight.

"Okay." She said just as quietly. Lucia was aware of the undercurrent and that her normal sassy comments would be unwelcome in this particular mood.

"Alright you guys! You take the stage in five minutes!"

Castiel released her after another kiss and then he naughtily pinched her butt. She squeaked and jerked away off of impulse more than real pain. Still she pouted, being playful now that the mood was broken.

"Well and here I was gonna be sweet and throw my bra at you."

"I wouldn't Shooter. You'd end up killing all the old guys here tonight with those."

She cocked her brow playfully. "Oh Castiel! I never would have called you old."

He took it in stride as usual. "If you flashed the audience the only thing I'd die of is regret that you were as flat as a sidewalk!"

Before she could retort Lysander was there to halt them in their banter. "We have to get on stage now…"

Beside the boy was none other than Violette. Lucia blinked before accepting the hug she was given. So Alexy had been right!

She was joined by Melody who gave Nathaniel a shift kiss on the cheek. Violette held Lysander's hand for a moment, blushing shyly as he placed a kiss on hers. A real gentleman, indeed. Then their boys were gone.

The concert was amazing. Lysander had a beautiful voice. When she heard the lyrics to the songs Lucia couldn't help smiling a little. There had been a time on her normal runs through the school that she had heard those lyrics being spouted at Castiel and assumed that they were a couple.

It had been a silly thing. Especially considering she had more than enough times seen solid proof Castiel was a female chaser and Lysander was obviously as enamored with her shy friend as Violette was with him. But she had been in a fanciful mood and her imagination always was a little on the dreamy side.

Her eyes were trained to Castiel despite the small smirk he'd sent her way when he noted he had her full attention. If she cared to look around she wouldn't have felt so foolish during the concert. Melody was practically undressing Nathaniel with her loving eyes and Violette was wholly captured by Lysander and the poetry dripping off his apparently silver tongue. Amber was there too of course, staring at Castiel.

In her case it was a very good thing Lucia was distracted. After all the two girls hadn't had a fight in a solid month. There wasn't any reason to ruin that now; Lucia was in fact vaguely proud of her non Amber bashing streak. It showed she had some control at the very least. But Castiel had in her mind become hers and she wasn't a tolerant person about sharing as a general fact. Especially with preppy snobbish girly girls.

Castiel had just sent her another smirk when she tensed and spun. Waves of a familiar kind were teasing her senses as she searched the crowd of writhing bodies. It took her a moment but her eyes lighted on a rather tall figure. She had an impression of a very unusual shade of blonde hair, almost tinted with shades of a blue like hers. But what made her eyes widen was the crimson eyes that met hers.

But unlike normal no memories surged, no voices taunted her with vague hints. She stared her fill. The only thing that hinted she knew the boy was that his aura brushed hers and seemed very familiar.

The crowd suddenly shifted around her and jostled her forward. She cursed as she had to catch her footing in the annoying heels Rosalya had insisted on. Her eyes scanned the crowd again but the boy had vanished.

"Oh great. Now instead of pounding headaches I get a vanishing ghost." Lucia muttered to herself as she turned back to Castiel. She smiled slightly. "Love my life."

As soon as they began playing the last song she moved to the backstage. She didn't want to deal with the heated crowd anymore. The screams were just plain obnoxious and there was really too many people. Wasn't there a rule against fire hazards?

The boy flickered in her mind again. Even if she wasn't going into torture mode over him she still wanted to know who he was. Maybe he could tell her about her past…

The band came in after a few moments. Castiel put his guitar in its leather case and came over to her just as Melody went to hug Nathaniel.

"Up Shooter." Castiel grinned at her.

Rather than obey she sank lower in her plushy chair. The grin she sent him couldn't be called anything else but challenging. "Nope, I'm feeling defiant."

"Dangerous words." He said.

"Everything is dangerous with you." She returned with a small laugh.

She took note that Lysander had sat down on a couch with Rosalya on one side and Violette on the other. It was interesting to see really. Lysander didn't show much emotion. Lucia would once have accused him of being too old fashioned but when you paired it with a shy girl like Violette it worked perfectly. And they did look disgustingly cute together.

She returned her focus to Castiel when he grabbed her up in his arms. He lifted her easily and she didn't protest or offer encouragement. She was completely lethargic as he lifted her bridal style so he could take her chair and set her on his lap, cradling her.

"I liked that chair." She mentioned vaguely.

"You'll like this one better." He murmured with a bit of a promise.

She rose to the flirt easily. "Oh, really? Well so far I have to disagree. This chair isn't nearly as comfortable and it's way to muscled to be a good pillow."

"Yeah? Well this seat has additional functions." He whispered and connected their lips.

Lucia thought she could live a hundred years and have a hundred different men kiss her and they'd not compare to Castiel. This particular boy could do things with his tongue that was surely illegal in most countries. And if it wasn't it soon would be.

"You wanted to talk?" She interrupted breathlessly. In another minute she knew she'd tear his clothes to ribbons and jump him out of sheer frustration.

The others could watch. Hell, Rosalya would probably film the entire thing and sell it. Somehow Lucia doubted very much that Leigh would enjoy her being the kick start to Rosalya as a porn director. Then again… stranger things have happened. Poor Violette would be traumatized, Nathaniel and Melody scandalized. And good old Lysander would be thinking whatever he thought when his friends tore at each other.

"Later is good." Castiel muttered against her lips.

"Later if firgettful."

"Did you just say Firgettful?" He pulled back a bit before deciding to bite at her ear.

"You're distracting me." She protested when she felt his shoulders shaking in mirth.

"I didn't know I had such an effect as to make you forget Basic English, Shooter." He whispered in her ear before returning to his ministrations.

"… Ass…. Now tell me what it was earlier!"

"Nosy thing aren't you?"

"What are you two talking about over there?" Rosalya had caught the end of their words.

Lucia pulled away as far as Castiel let her. "Not a damned thing. Cause he is being stubborn!"

"This surprises you?" Lysander asked with a raised brow.

"Hey, don't go siding with her Lysander. You're my lead Harem guy." Castiel grinned.

"I still have no clue what you mean when you say that and at this point…"

Castiel figured he should just get this over with. Before he could retain her attention again she suddenly tensed and glanced at the opened door. He followed her gaze but all he saw was shadows.

He didn't stop her when she climbed from his lap, ignoring everyone's voices of concern.

And so it happened that she was not anywhere near him when a familiar form stood in the doorway, a smile curving up the familiar lips and blue eyes sparkling in warmth.

"Oh, Kitten, I've missed you!"

* * *

_**End chapter 10**_

**Author note:** I couldn't resist dropping her in. Now I know… Deborah comes after the concert because she needs the fame Castiel now has or something. But I'm making it that she was on her way anyway to recruit him because her band was in trouble. His concert is just an extra cherry to her.

I know this one was probably like "What the hell is this gal doing?" Feel free to ask me to explain anything you aren't understanding. I know I keep dropping wiers bits of the past in there. But at least now we know why Locke is involved and how Lucia lost her memories, right? No?... Alrighty. Soon all shall be made clearer than polished glass.

Well please leave a review! Until next time.


	11. Shatter

**Author note:** Ah chapter 11. To think I've come this far… I'm grateful that my mind stayed focused.

**Germandelights:** I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Now don't think too badly of what Locke did. He had his reasons and if he hadn't Lucia never would have met Castiel after all.

**Imissthemisery:** Well it is a kick butt song. Your name immediately caught my eye! I hope this chapter is capable of keeping you addicted.

**Dark Angel and Dark star:** I hope you were able to put your head back together again in time for this chapter. Thanks for the support!

* * *

Now for the beginning of this chapter I'll be dropping some quick profiles of five new characters. Some you've seen briefly while others make their first appearance now but you will see more of them.

_**Royce Dean**:_ Age-18

Looks: Unusual shade of blond with a very thin and translucent shade of blue streaks running through it. Crimson eyes.

Royce is a playful tease. He enjoys flirting and being a general bother.

_**Alexi Marshell:**_ Age- 15

Looks: Reddish brown hair. Crimson eyes.

A more serious counterpart to Royce. He enjoys reading and insuring order.

_**Stanton O'commer:**_ Age- 16

Looks: Long dark blue hair, crimson eyes

Stanton is mostly content to follow the lead of Ciera. He is calm and vaguely disassociated with most others.

_**Ciera Reash**_: Age- 17

Looks: Pale hair like moonlight to her hips. Crimson eyes.

Ciera was once a blood thirsty killer who used her childishly innocent looks to get her way. She is now slightly calmer but still very deadly.

_**Tristian Fallows:**_ Age- 17

Looks: Thick black hair that seems almost blue in certain light. Crimson eyes.

Tristian shares the teasing trait with Royce. He is also very aware of most deceptions that go on around him. `

**Disclaimer:** This story is mine; a couple characters are mine… the actual game and original character for it… Nah.

* * *

Chapter 11

"You just couldn't bloody well resist could you?" Stanton sighed tiredly.

The five of them were gathered in a basement. Ciera was hanging upside down from the loveseat, idly flipping a magazine. Alexi was sitting beside Royce. Stanton was half convinced that the two were more in love with each other than they'd ever been with their partners, who remained lost. Tristian was leaning against the wall looking out the window. Stanton had placed himself in an armchair across from Alexi and Royce and was flipping through channels on a TV.

Royce smiled. "Well it's as Ciera is always saying. I'm just rolling along. She just happened to end up in my path."

"I never say that actually." Ciera piped up.

"The point is you could have seriously caused her a breakdown popping out like that." Stanton continued.

"Please the old gal didn't even remember me! No recognition at all. I'd be insulted if I wasn't so nice."

"I'll laugh when she does remember you and sends you to the hills screaming in terror." Tristian commented.

"Why would she do that? Lucia loves me!" Royce laughed.

Alexi snorted idly as he read from a huge novel balancing on his lap. "And she'd laugh her ass off to hear that. You did grab her ass the last time you saw her before all this nonsense."

Royce chuckled and slung an arm around Alexi before freezing a bit, an odd expression crossing his features. The others in the room stiffened as well and shifted. Since the return of their memories it had once again become ingrained in them to be loyal to their partners and dislike touches from anyone other than that single person. Personal feelings didn't matter in who they were.

Finding a balance between the past instincts and the present circumstance wasn't easy.

"Beyond that…" Alexi began as he moved from under Royce, who looked torn. "We need to be careful. There isn't any use forcing her to remember. Little pushes, nothing more."

"Yeah…" Royce agreed. He fidgeted before leaping to his feet and going for a beer. Alexi watched for a moment before his eyes slid back to the words on the pages he read.

Lucia bit her lip as she stared at the ceiling in vague irritation, worry, and reluctance. Reluctance to remove herself from the overly plushy bed and face the school day.

Castiel had vanished after the odd girl showed up, leaving her with Rosalya and the others. Rosa said her name was Deborah. That was all she'd say, refusing to elaborate after. Instead she took Lucia back to her house for an impromptu sleep over. That was who she was in bed with now; Rosalya curled against her, her long hair brushing Lucia's cheek.

_A rather pretty girl. _Lucia thought vaguely. She recalled the large sparkling blue eyes and generous curves. Ample cleavage that spilled over with her top. _No wonder Castiel thinks I'm a cutting board. _

She recalled now with clarity when he'd asked if she had an eating disorder. She wondered if others thought that…

When the alarm clock went off and Rosalya stirred and groaned she knew she probably couldn't skip out. Rosalya might have been a wild child and a bit like Castiel in the regard that school could on occasion be skipped but she wouldn't miss today. Not the day after the concert.

"Morning wifey. Did your world get rocked last night?" Rosalya was looking at her now with a slight teasing smile. Lucia couldn't help but answer.

"Oh yeah. You were a bomb."

They giggled together while they got ready for school and the good mood followed them until they stepped into the doors of Sweet Amoris.

"Hi Rosalya! How are you?" The girl from last night, Deborah, was there.

Rosalya stiffened and the hand around Lucia's arm gripped tighter for a second. "Hello there Deborah."

Well her voice was frosty. Lucia had seen her friend angry and all but never had she been downright unwelcoming to someone.

"Let's go." Rosalya grasped her and made Lucia move.

Lucia couldn't resist peeking back to see Deborah standing there with a bewildered and slightly hurt look. There was something off about it though. It was like she was trying too hard or something…

Rosalya left her at her locker. Lucia wished for a moment she could curl up in her locker and go back to sleep. Then she recalled the tree in the courtyard. It had been a few months since she had climbed into the branches to nap.

Her mind set on how to spend at least the first two bells she slammed her locker and barely stifled a gasp as Deborah was on the other side of it. She quickly regained her composure as she leaned against the lockers.

Deborah giggled. "I'm sorry for startling you."

Lucia glanced away for a moment. There was something niggling at the back of her mind. Something was wrong with this girl!

"I'm looking for Castiel. Have you seen him anywhere?"

"I just got here. I've barely seen myself!" Lucia smiled pleasantly.

Before Deborah could comment Violette was there giving the girl an exuberant hug. "How have you been?" The purple haired artist asked as she released her.

Lucia had stiffened slightly. There had been a look of annoyance on Deborah when Violette had closed her arms around her. Now however there was a look of kind interest as she talked with the other girl.

After a moment Deborah told them both she had to go find Castiel and she walked away saying hello to everyone she passed.

"What a ray of sunshine." Lucia muttered.

"Oh! Lucia here you are!" Lucia glanced behind her to see Melody there.

Her eyes were bright and she had a huge beaming smile on her face. It was unlike Melody to look so exited.

"Aren't you exited? Deborah is back in town." She gushed.

"Why should I be exited?" Lucia asked with a small frown.

"Remember the CD you bought for my birthday? That was her band." Melody explained. "Not to mention she is so nice. You should like her a lot Lucia."

"Mmm. I suppose we'll see." Lucia pushed away from the lockers. "I'll see you two later."

She moved away as fast as she could through the throng of students. She pushed herself to the door and gratefully stepped out into the fresh air. There was her precious tree. Before she could step forward to it a flash of red and brown caught her eye and she turned her gaze to see Castiel in a different outfit with Deborah.

"Oh hello there!" Deborah had spotted her and dragged Castiel over to her. "We haven't been properly introduced. Kitten, why don't you do the honors?"

"Kitten?" Lucia cocked a brow before Castiel could react. "I'm Lucia. And you're Deborah."

"Wow are you a fan?" Deborah smiled brightly.

"No actually. It's just everyone has been talking about you today so I picked the name up."

"I see." The eyes shifted for a moment, a flash of icy disdain in the otherwise still pool. "Well I'll make a fan of you yet!" A sudden giggle and pull of the lips and suddenly she was approachable again.

"Now that sounds like a challenge." Lucia smirked suddenly. This girl gave her a bad feeling and politeness only went so far when you had none.

"Lucia what did you want anyway?" Castiel intervened. He recognized the look and stance Lucia was adopting. It was her I'm-going-to-hurt-you position.

Her eyes shifted to his and they were annoyed. He wished he could grab her and kiss it away but as it was…

"I wasn't here for you actually. I was just heading to take a nap in the bleachers."

"Well then you should get going." Castiel crossed his arms.

"See you Lucia. I'm sure we'll be good friends!"

Lucia restrained her urge to wave sarcastically. It took all her strength but she managed to smile sweetly. Only Castiel saw the strain behind it and that was because he had made it a kind of personal mission to figure out her moods.

As soon as she was gone around the corner Deborah was on him again with her arms around his neck and her mouth reaching for his. He grasped her as gently as he could to hold her at bay.

"Come on Kitten. Just one kiss? For old times sake…" When he remained firm she pouted, her arms relaxing a fraction but not releasing him. "Fine. But you need to think about my offer. Can you imagine it Castiel? You and me together again. Your amazing guitar skills with my singing… we'd be sensational."

She chuckled suddenly. "After all what do you have to keep you here? We were good together kitten. Think about it please? I've missed you so much…" Before he could stop her she had pressed her lips against his.

As soon as it happened he felt like he'd been taken back to freshman year when he'd had her all to himself and he could claim her fully. His grip tightened on her reflexively and he relished the way she pushed against him. He had spent so long telling himself he was over her but now all the old hurt and affection rose up again.

Then she was gone. In her place was Lucia.

As soon as he saw Lucia he jerked Deborah from his arms and blinked. To be thinking of Lucia at a time like this… it was odd.

"Think about it." Deborah smiled and turned to head back into the school.

Castiel spent the day thinking about it… Annoyed he left the school.

Lucia had been dragged from her hiding place by none other than the popular Deborah. The girl sat beside her and waited patiently for Lucia to fully wake up before she began her attack.

"Listen I don't think you realize how much power I have here." Deborah said after Lucia remained less than forth coming with the worship.

"And you don't realize how very little I care. In fact let's skip the whole "I'm a big bad force" and cut to the part where you leave me alone." Lucia crossed her legs and yawned.

Deborah narrowed her eyes and suddenly she launched into the tale of how she broke Nathaniel and Castiel's friendship up.

"…why did you tell me that?! Do you really think I'm going to keep that to myself?" Lucia snapped.

"I told you about my discussion with the others too… Even you should understand the message I was trying to give you."

"I don't, actually." Lucia rolled her eyes.

"Well… everyone trusted me, and if you try to make them think the opposite, just remember what happened to Nathaniel. No one listened to what he had to say. They just saw him as the jealous guy who wanted to steal a classmate's girlfriend… You'll just be seen as a jealous little girl… no one will believe you, ever." Deborah smirked lightly, sure in her victory.

"See you later Lucia! And don't forget: everyone thinks you're nice and seems to like you. It would be such a shame to lose that affection just to discredit me… I'm already way ahead of you."

"Oh I'm trembling." Lucia said dryly and rolled her eyes. "But thanks I suppose. I knew you were manipulative but I didn't know you were just a plain bitch. Why not talk with Amber? You guys are soul mates."

"Unfortunately I've already chosen my soul mate. His name is Castiel."

Lucia sighed. A few months ago… no a few weeks ago she would have punched Deborah in her pretty little face. Now however she couldn't see much point. Her only concern at the moment was how she seemed to have everyone minus Rosalya duped.

So she spent the day feeling everyone out about Deborah. The general consensus was she was an angel. It left a bad taste in her mouth and she wasn't shy about spilling it. It all culminated when Deborah stopped her in the hallway. It was the end of the day so Lucia wanted to leave. Her irritation was obvious on her face.

Suddenly Deborah had tears in her eyes. She covered her face and sobbed loudly. Lucia glanced around to see that most of the crowd had stopped to look at them. But it was Alexy and Violette that burst forward to stand by Deborah. Violette gently touched her shoulder.

"What is it?" Violette asked.

"I-its just… I'm trying so hard to be friendly but Lucia said mean things. I thought we were good friends!"

Lucia blinked. "What?" She snapped. "This is your game, really?" unable to resist she moved forward to grab Deborah around the arm, wincing when she shrieked loud enough to bust the decibel scale. She felt a moment of rage before it simmered down due to the look on her friends faces.

"Lucia!" Violette gasped in shock.

"Come on." Alexy said.

They left Lucia who tsked. That had been a bad move on her part. Who knew what rumors would be flying tomorrow! She sighed and decided to just go home and sleep.

The next day there was whispers everywhere. And everyone was either blushing and shifting their gaze away from her or glaring. It irked her a bit. Why should she have to be judged for being honest? She didn't like Deborah, big deal. She decided to try one more time to make everyone see the truth…

"You are creating quite a stir." Lysander said from behind her at lunch. She was laying in the garden with sleep in her eyes. She blinked and sat up with a small grimace.

"Well what should I do? She told me she is the reason Castiel hates Nathaniel. And beyond that she is being a pain. I never thought I'd say it but there is a person worse than Amber."

Lysander made a soothing movement with his hand. She followed his gaze and realized that she had pulled a clump of flowers from the ground with her hand and was clutching it. With a curse she tossed it away.

"Perhaps this is a matter you should remain out of." He murmured.

"And what's your stake in it?" She snarled. When he looked at her calmly she groaned and fell back to the ground. "Sorry. I couldn't sleep well yesterday and every time I zone out here someone tromps along."

"Violette is worried. She seems to think you were being unnecessarily harsh."

"Could have been harsher." She muttered.

Before either could comment Rosalya was there. She dropped to the ground and squeezed Lucia as tight as she could. She didn't let up until Lucia squirmed in protest.

Her eyes were serious when she did pull back. "Lys-baby is right. You need to lay low for awhile.'

"But-"

"Now, now Wifey don't you worry! I might not have been able to do anything last time she was here… but now she is going after my wifey and that is not allowed. I'll think of a plan to take her down. Until then lay low."

"So you believe me?" Lucia asked.

Rosalya smiled. "We both do. Right, Lysander?"

Lysander sighed. "Yes, I do. I would like to protect Violette from her if possible."

Lucia was so relieved that she wasn't a total outcast that she hugged him. He was surprised to say the least but he returned it easily. Contact between them had always been limited. Rosalya sighed as she studied them.

"Oh you two would have been a great couple. Too bad you had to fall for the bad boy. We could have been Sisters."

"I believe that would have been immorally wrong." Lysander smiled slightly.

"Yeah I can't be your Sister plus your wife."

Rosalya gasped. "So no more world rocking?"

"Never again." Lucia said solemnly.

"It is things like this that makes Leigh worried over you two."

Before one of them could taunt him with a rejoinder there was a sharp gasp. They all turned to see Violette and Melody there. Lucia still had her arms around Lysander and his were on her sides. Lucia was well aware how this looked.

"Violette-" Lysander began but the purple haired girl turned and ran. Melody gave Lucia a look of firm disapproval. "Maybe we really were wrong about you Lucia." She said before following.

Lysander got up but paused to look at them. "Go, go, and go." Rosalya waved him on. The silver haired girl fixed Lucia with a look. "Remember, lie low."

"Aye-aye captain." Lucia gave a salute.

Rosalya grinned. "That's Captain wifey to you."

Lucia waited until after lunch to enter the building. Her Auntie had already come at her for her lack of attendance. It had been becoming worse and worse over the weeks. So even if it sucked royally she would face the music of the singing rumors that had to be being passed around at record speed.

She caught murmured conversations here and there. All of them were about her and her apparent true personality.

"She always was off." One girl whispered too loudly for it to not be heard.

"I heard she went crazy and attacked Amber brutally before."

"Want to be next?" Lucia snapped finally. Se turned to see the surprised and slightly frightened looks. She smirked darkly before walking away. "These idiots make me think Aria was a bloody joy. At least she kept me busy."

"Out of our way please!" Amber said suddenly, roughly pushing Lucia into the wall. Her little lackeys kept going as Amber paused to laugh at her. "I heard what happened. I'm surprised you got cornered so easily!"

"What? Are you telling me you believe me too?"

"As much as it pains me to say yes I suppose so. Those tears? Oh, please! I invented crocodile tears."

That isn't something to be proud of, Lucia thought. But then again it was Amber. What else was there to expect? The girl oozed with a driven need to get what she wanted however she could. Crying wasn't that low on the list of things really.

"Humph well this time we'll get rid of her."

"Meaning?" Lucia asked tiredly. The whispers kept on going around. One particular conversation broke through her studied ignoring of it all.

"Maybe we all have it wrong." Iris said quietly.

"No… I heard she spent a whole day trying to convince everyone Deborah was bad. Not to mention Lysander…" Violette had swollen eyes. Apparently Lysander hadn't been able to get through to her and Melody earlier… terrific.

"I can't believe we were so wrong about her." Iris said unhappily.

Lucia came back to Amber when she noted the girl had kept prattling on about how she would get even with Deborah for some past wrong. Her attention fixed. Anything Amber had planned wouldn't end well.

"Well I've wasted enough time." Amber said and ran off to the stairwell.

Lucia leaned against a locker and watched her go. Her brain told her to stay out of it. It brought up how Rosalya would murder her if she got involved in any weird plan that Amber cooked up. But her heart told her to tell her brain to shut up. Amber was an amateur and amateur meant mistakes, mistakes meant cops. It was a left over code from her past and one of the few things she claimed to believe.

She closed her eyes. Nothing good could come from this situation. It wasn't a good thought to get involved any further. But Castiel… Rosalya had said that Deborah was his ex and that she was here to rekindle their love. And take him to be in her band.

She vaguely recalled hearing the songs before. They had been average, the voice good but the words and beat not meshing well. The words had seemed empty and devoid of real emotion to Lucia. Deborah was no Amy Lees that was for damned sure.

"Hello there Lucia." Nathaniel interrupted her.

She glanced at him idly. "Oh hello there. Where is your voice in all this? She told me what happened."

His eyes narrowed and she smiled sarcastically. "I'll tell you now nothing good could come from going against Deborah. Just let this all drop please."

"Nothing good could have come from ignoring her either. At least now I know my real friends I suppose."

"You can't judge everyone too harshly. Deborah was around before you and she does keep up a good act. It'll all settle down once she is gone again." Nathaniel said comfortingly.

Lucia shrugged. On some level she knew he was right. On another was the deep seed of doubt. Trust never got anyone anything good and all that…

"Well you've successfully stayed out of it. And I'm going to leave you now before Melody tries to start something I'll have to finish in a bloody way."

Nathaniel turned to see Melody there with a slightly betrayed look. Lucia slipped away while the Golden boyfriend went to placate his one love.

Of their own volition her feet carried her to the stairwell and up the stairs. She could hear the giggling behind the door and pushed it open gently.

Amber, Charlotte, and Lee were there. They turned to her, Charlotte and Lee holding a bucket of some sort.

"What are you doing here? I don't need your help! Unlike you I have friends who will stand by me." Amber said in a snarky tone.

Lucia cocked a brow. "Not that I care but what the hell Amber?"

"Oh this." Amber smirked suddenly. "We are going to drop this on Deborah!"

Her stomach dropped. This was the second floor which wasn't that bad but… it was bad!

"Drop what?" Lucia asked carefully.

Amber rolled her eyes. "Wow you really are dumb. It's a bucket, duh. We filled it with water from the toilet!" Her eyes snapped gleefully.

Lucia wrinkled her nose as she crossed her arms. "Every time I think maybe you aren't bad you show off more of your trash."

The blondes face flushed an angry red color that made her less attractive under the harsh school lighting. "Girls!" She snapped. "Toss it now."

"No!" Lucia snapped and shoved Amber away just as Lee and Charlotte dropped the bucket laughing.

Lucia glanced out to see it hit its mark. Deborah cried out as the water soaked her and her little posse immediately gathered around her. Lucia tsked when she saw heads swivel to her. She swung back inside and let out a string of curses. Of all the rotten luck!

Amber and her little annoying friends were gone. Not that anyone would believe her it was really them anyway.

Stupid mistakes! She used to be smarter than this; she used to not let other issues affect her.

Her heart was pounding as she rushed down the halls. As much as she hated it she had to see that Deborah was alright. Her conscious wouldn't let her let it rest.

"Hey!" Deborah came at her running with the principal in tow.

"LUCIA! Is it true? Did you really throw that bucket at Deborah?!" The Principal was livid. Deborah had a nasty expression on her face that evaporated when students gathered around the ranting old lady.

"It is true! She has done nothing but harass me since I came back!"

"Harass! Are you serious Deborah!" The Principal was shocked.

Something in Lucia registered that she couldn't say anything to make this look good. Not when Deborah was the marked favorite. Unfortunately it would take too much effort to show the school their Angel had fallen.

So she swallowed her harsh retort and let whatever would happen go. Her screaming was over in about ten minutes. She ordered that Lucia clean the graffiti from the walls by herself.

"I'll get even with you for this I swear." Deborah hissed under her breath. Louder she said "I just wanted to be friends!"

Lucia left before she ended up wanted for murder. That little sadistic part of her brain said she could just murder the whole student body too and have no witnesses. It wasn't like anyone had shown her the benefit of the doubt minus Rosalya and Lysander.

There was nothing she hated more than the feeling of impotency. Deborah really had backed her into a corner. She was going to get everything her way including Castiel. And Lucia knew deep in her heart he'd end up hurt worse than before. It made a painful jab into her heart….

She just might have been in love with Castiel…

It was impossible to think about and the knowledge did her no good at all. She felt a mix of betrayal and disgust mixed in with surprise. After all her protests the little jack ass had totally knocked her defenses away. She was dependant on that single emotion. Her dislike of Deborah and her desire to see her gone… was it even really legit?

Seeing her friends turn on her was disheartening but it hadn't crippled her. She simply thought that she was better off without people so easily swayed. But hadn't she herself been swayed by that single feeling?

Well the dislike was certainly legit now at least. She would pin it all on her instincts. No way in hell Lucia would admit her love was the cause of it all.

"You!" She turned to see the object of her thoughts storming to her with a fury she had never seen directed at her. Hell he hadn't been this angry after the slushy incident!

"What?" She asked with a small feeling of dread.

"You must have the brain of a fucking three year old to pull off a joke like that! You could have seriously hurt her with that bucket!"

Lucia closed her eyes as she felt the headache begin. "It wasn't me." She responded tiredly.

'Stop trying to fuck with me! Deborah came here with ah honest proposal for me but I can't think with you running around like some love-struck idiot!"

Now that was a low blow considering her own personal revelation moments ago… she considered it for a moment to note that Castiel had gotten frustrated with her silence and stormed off.

She couldn't have left it be even with all the brain cells in the universe. She rushed after him as swiftly as she could. When she finally caught him she grasped his arm to make him stop.

"Castiel wait a minute! If you'd just give me more than a second to respond I would tell you the truth! She wanted me out of the way so you'd go with her. She isn't who you think… I can explain."

He rounded on her and knocked her hand from his jacket. His eyes were frosty and they sent a spike not only to her heart but her head as well. The pain was like a knife slicing in her. She ignored it and decided to just tell him ALL of the truth.

"Castiel I… please believe me. I care so much about you, maybe more. I just can't stand to see you hurt again."

Her eyes were softer than he'd ever seen them. She was completely soft and feminine in that moment and a part of him wanted to reach out to take advantage of the rare moment. The moment when Lucia dropped all her guards, every single one, and beseeched him to hear her hidden meanings.

But he was so furious! Whatever she said couldn't be the truth. He had heard the rumors circulate and had discredited them. But he had seen the bucket fall, had seen her vanish from the window…

His breathing was harsh as he tried to calm himself…. Maybe she had a good explanation… yeah and pigs flew.

"Stop it. Just… stop. As of this second nothing you thought we had is real. Never come near me again. And I better not hear about you being near people I like." The words were ash in his mouth. They felt wrong and forced but he was so angry he couldn't care.

Tears hit her eyes. "I just… wanted you to understand… I… just…" a memory skipped through her mind and made her freeze. She couldn't handle the pain from both her brain and her chest! Her hand came up to angrily wipe her cheeks. Then of their own volition she punched Castiel as hard as she could.

She saw the jump to his anger but tears were slipping now too fast for her to halt and it infuriated her. Memories jumped and vied for her attention as she tried to stay focused on the present.

"You're a damned idiot! Go; get your fucking heart shattered again. As far as I'm concerned you're so gullible that you're too dim witted to tell you're being duped!"

Before he could retaliate she bolted past him. The memories were blinding flashes in her, coming to fast for her to figure out the mess. Her heart was a bleeding lump inside her as well. It was impossible to tell where the most hurt was coming from.

She felt arms close around her. She swung off of instinct but her fist was caught.

"Lucia are you alright?" Lysander asked in his usual gentle way.

Lucia focused enough to hear the question. "My head… I don't know what's happening!" She couldn't repress the whimper. It was the same shooting pain she recalled in her dreams only it was opposite. Instead of things being ripped from her head it was like they were all being dumped without ceremony inside.

"Lucia…"

"Castiel said he never wants to see me again. I told him to fuck off.' She laughed shakily.

"Perhaps he was simply mad." Lysander said soothingly as he gently traced her forehead.

"No… I have… to go… you deal with the bastard. And tell Rosalya I'm done. Whatever happens to that jack ass is his own issue."

He didn't have time to respond before she clutched his arms and bit into her lip hard enough to make blood well and spill from it. She shoved him away with more strength he thought she could muster. He blinked and she was gone, running through the halls. He couldn't have caught her if he tried.

"What's wrong with Lucia?!" Rosalya had come up to him. "I was going to scold her but…"

Worry was mirrored in both their gazes as they looked to where Lucia had vanished.

When Castiel walked past them Rosalya grabbed him roughly while Lysander tried to halt her.

"What the hell did you do to Lucia?" She demanded angrily.

"… Leave me the fuck alone." He snarled.

Lysander noted his bruised hand. "You got into a fist fight with her?" He questioned.

Rosalya gasped. "You bastard!"

"I punched a fucking wall, not that it's any of your business!"

Lucia was a sobbing hysterical mess when she finally managed to open the apartment door. It was all a mass of bleeding colors and vague recollections. It proved to be too much effort for her to close the door as she fell to her knees clutching her head.

As she fell to the floor and closed her eyes it was a new name she whispered in the throws of pain. The name was fastly becoming recognized in her rushes of recollections however.

"Tristian…!"

End chapter

* * *

Author note: So explanation time. Basically Lucia is now suffering the massive pain of her memories all returning in odd jumbles. The fact she hadn't slept made her mentally weaker and then the stress from the day and then her trust being tossed back in her face by Castiel caused a great shift and knocked her from the safe waters and into the turmoil of her own mind….

This chapter had actual dialogue from Episode 16 taken from a guide and then a bit of a mesh to shorten it up for my hands sake. I left out some parts of the episode. If that is confusing let me know and I shall edit them in. The punch and her snapping just seemed more Lucia than the candies original scene of melting into a puddle of miserable goo. Other than that I hope you enjoyed this turn of events!


	12. Memory lane

_**Germandelights:**_ I haven't reached it yet but, being the cheater I am, I've been dreading it. I hear it is an AP killer. I was lucky on that annoying beach episode by finishing it with 150 AP but I doubt I could pull that again even if I tried! I'm very lethargic with the idea of reaching that episode actually. XD

_**Darkangelanddarkstar:**_ Don't hate the cliffhanger, hate the author… wait… that would be me. Let's strike that from the record! As for face punching it occurs to me that I haven't had Castiel go into true bad-boy mode yet… hmm, ideas.

_**Imissthemisery:**_ Really, all nine chapters? My, I'm speechless. All I can say is thank you for the interest and support! When I first saw episode 16 I about stopped playing because no way was I losing Castiel. Luckily Chino made the game so addictive. I couldn't stay away!

_**I'mANinja:**_ What happens next? Read to find out! Thanks for the excitement.

**Author note**: Now then. Her memories have returned so I suppose I should open you all up to key points in her life shouldn't I?

**Disclaimer: **Nope, nope, nope. Yet… I can dream!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Lucia had managed to crawl to the couch when the pain became more of a sharp throb rather than a sharp stab. She had kicked the door shut with more force than she should have used probably. Now she was curled in her seat with her head in her hands as she remembered everything… every… single…. Detail…

_The orphanage wasn't the worse place but it wasn't the best either. It was just there. It wasn't a home. Nor was it a prison. It was like being in the middle of nothing. Nothing happened, nothing changed. _

_Winters were by far the worse. If there was one thing the little girl despised it was being cold and that happened too much in winter. The sweet nuns who ran the small orphanage weren't able to do much beyond feeding them all. _

_If you were lucky you were adopted. But mostly it was the newborns that got removed immediately. They were cuter with fat cheeks and healthier looking then the older, wiser children. _

_Lucia herself was a sweet child but she had missed the adoption age. She had been three when she was brought here. Now she was five and dreamed of nothing more than joining the nuns. If only they weren't so religious… it didn't suit the girl to be cooped up inside all day. _

_Her ash hair was almost always curled atop her head and her grey eyes were open and friendly. For the most part she spent her days in the gardens sleeping and dreaming of when her life would change. _

_It didn't take long for it to happen after her fifth birthday. A man named Aaron Redfield came. He was practically bleeding money and sophistication, so much it would make people gag. His hair was kept manageable and he had whip cord muscles that were obvious through the proper suit._

_The nuns weren't surprised to see him. If anything they were relieved. He went through the orphanage and spoke with each child. By the end of the day Lucia and three others had been adopted and she was given a new last name. Clarington. _

_Aria had become her best friend almost immediately. Lucia was fond of her new home. It was large enough to house two hundred and at times it seemed it did. Kids that ranged from age five to twenty. Some of the older ones sported odd colored hair and eyes the color of blood. They became every new Childs ideal because Mr. Redfield was more praising of them. _

_She was taught to fight. Lucia was swift thanks to her thinness but she lacked strength because of it. In hand to hand she almost always lost if her sparring partner managed to grab her. If she had a weapon she was better since she could swipe to keep them away. _

_Her true ability came out when she was six and they gave her a gun. For the rest of her life she would always remember it. They set her on a stepping block and told her to aim for the targets. Immediately she seemed to be able to hit the middle. When they moved on to human shaped dummies she learned the vital spots, where to shoot when you wanted the target to bleed slowly to death and where to hit when you wanted it to be swift. _

"_See, I knew we'd find your little niche!" Mr. Redfield laughed and gave her a pat on the head. It wasn't much but to the children at the home he'd brought them to it was enough. _

_It wasn't until she was eight she was she let in on the hidden things. Like why they were being trained to fight. She saw a group of Advanced coming in on one of the nights that she and Aria snuck out to the roof. They were covered in blood. It had been her strangled gasp that alerted the group. Before she could blink she and Aria were lifted into the air and taken to Mr. Redfield. _

_He had taken in the sight with unreadable eyes. Then he had sent the older kids away and had Aria and Lucia sit in the chair._

"_I see you two have been being naughty. Well done on staying under the radar for so long." _

_Aria and Lucia exchanged glances. "You mean… we aren't in trouble?" Aria asked in a nervous little voice. _

"_Oh no, you are indeed. You got caught after all. But this does open up the can with ease." He said pleasantly. _

"_There are things that we do. Things for various people. They come to us and ask for our help."_

"_So were like cops?" Lucia asked. _

_Mr. Redfield chuckled darkly. "Hardly, my dear. Were more of an "as needed" group. We handle the things the Government and people with enough money can't." _

_He told them various things that night. He was the Leader, the president of the group. They were a free lance group; no they didn't need to know more just yet. They would be told more when they were older. _

_And then he mentioned about the Advanced. They were people who had altered appearances, odd colored hair and crimson eyes. It was unclear what about the serum made their genes alters like that. Not everyone got the hair changes. But all got the eyes. _

_It was a rather simple procedure. It was just weekly injections for two months or until the body adapted. It made the person stronger, faster, and more capable of handling pain. It wasn't superman strength though; Mr. Redfield was quick to tell them. It simply enhanced their talents. _

_Years passed. Aria and Lucia were close still but they weren't very. They had just turned twelve. Lucia was beginning to take note of the boys in the home, how their muscles flexed under their tautly pulled skin. Aria would always be annoyed but for the life of her Lucia couldn't figure out why. _

_Then she was called in to see Mr. Redfield. She knocked politely on the door and waited calmly until he told her to enter. She shut the door behind her and bowed low as she was taught to do. _

_There was another older boy in the room besides Mr. Redfield's. His hair was as black as a raven's and fell along his forehead; one side of his bangs had grown long to curve along his chiseled cheek. He had a slender build to him. His eyes sent a thrill through her. He wasn't just the very definition of tall and handsome, he was an Advanced to boot. _

"_Ah Lucia, you made it. Welcome, welcome." Mr. Redfield beamed at her. "Now have you any idea why you are here, my dear?"_

_Her eyes had been focused on the new guy but she focused on the older gentlemen. "None at all, sir." _

"_No you wouldn't have any idea would you? Allow me to explain, then. Lucia this is Tristian Fallows." Lucia nodded politely but Tristian merely turned away and crossed his arms. "Your teachers have given you glowing reviews lately. In light of this we have decided to give you the extreme honor of receiving a partner."_

_Her heart skipped a beat. Normally you had to be around fourteen to even be considered for this! Was it to be with the guy, Tristian? He was so much more than her already though. Advanced normally paired with other Advanced. There wasn't any way she could keep up with him as she was._

_Then she realized that he had kept talking._

"… _Of course it is an honor beyond most we give. Especially considering you are still so naïve about the things we are, what we represent. But we, your instructors and I, agree that you could be very beneficial so we need to ensure you don't get cold feet. Having an Advanced as a partner should inspire you to push to become Advanced yourself and also you'll receive more experience with missions faster that way." Mr. Redfield said. "Well beyond that do your best, alright? Tristian have you anything to add?"_

_Tristian looked at the older man before turning cold eyes to Lucia. "This thing is to be my partner? What decided that? It's so scrawny. I'd do better alone." _

"_Now, now. Tristian be polite. The ceremony is to take place in two days. Why not run along and get to know each other a bit before then?" _

"_Whatever." Tristian sighed and walked up to her. "Move." He ordered and Lucia jumped from the door. _

_She watched as he went through it and stalked down the hall. She bowed low to Mr. Redfield before she hurried her steps to catch up to him. On impulse she reached out and tried to grab him around his arm. _

_As soon as she made the contact he slammed her into a wall harshly. His eyes were stormy when he focused on her. A trickle of fear went down her spine at the coldness that emanated from him. _

"_Listen here. I hardly think this is even worth the effort to say since if you have any brain you'd know it. This hair, this face, this body… It's all useless. You are nothing to me."_

_He left her there. She went directly to her bed and slept, ignoring Aria. All the excitement she had been feeling… was gone. How could he be her partner? He was just… mean! _

_The day of the ceremony came too fast. Aria shook her awake with urgency in her voice. _

"_Lucia they came to take you to the ceremony room! I told them it was a mistake but…" _

_Lucia blinked away her tears. "Oh Aria, I was hoping it would go away. I figured Tristian would get out of it somehow…"_

"_Tristian, the Advanced?" Aria demanded in shock. _

"_Mmm. It isn't like he likes me or can even tolerate me. He hates me. I thought he would… make it not happen somehow." _

_Aria hadn't bothered to console her. Her main instructor came and convinced her to go through with it. _

_As soon as she entered the room she saw Tristian in the corner without his shirt. She herself was in jeans and a bra only as her mentor had told her. As soon as Tristian saw her he showed her a wicked dagger and gestured to the table. _

_She heard the door close behind her and barely restrained a whimper as she hesitated. She wondered how far she could get if she ran. Tristian certainly wouldn't follow her and she could probably dodge the instructors… _

"_Listen… just get on the damned thing so we can finish this." His voice was so firm she had to obey. Her instructors had been teaching her that since she was a child, to obey others stronger than her. _

_As soon as she was settled he unclasped her bra with quick efficiency. Lucia swallowed her natural embarrassment. She couldn't halt the tremble that shook her when his hand brushed her though. _

_His eyes locked with hers as he readied the knife. "You need to be still. Daggers are a specialty of mine but even I can't keep these completely straight if you jerk suddenly. Do you understand?"_

"_Yes." _

_She would never know how she managed it. But she didn't flinch when the dagger sunk into her skin. She supposed she had all the classes on endurance to thank for her tolerance to the pain. The pattern was the worst part because of the fine turns and dips. _

_As soon as he was done he wiped the dagger off and also her chest. She hated that it caused a small stir in her. He might have been becoming her partner but he was still a jerk and she didn't know him. _

_Tristian sighed as he began speaking. "You belong to me. Every breath you take and every step you take, think only of me. Whether I'm here or not think only of me. You're mine, my tool."_

"_Okay." She murmured vaguely._

"_Now then our positions are going to be switched. I'm sure they explained to you." He waited for her nod. "The word carved on you is Fang. You are to carve Shadow into my skin with the vines. As of then you will be activated as my partner and you'll join me as an active member of Shadow Fang."_

"_Shadow Fang?" Lucia murmured quietly. Here was information that they had neglected to tell her. Perhaps now she would know everything they did and what was expected of her. _

"_Shadow Fang is… in blunt terms were assassins. That's what all the training was for, why being Advanced means more activity. Officially were just a high class orphanage. Most of the kids are either kids from other orphanages like you or their parents were in the Shadow Fang, like me."_

"_Assassins?" She demanded in shock, rising from the table and shielding herself from him. _

_Tristian smirked. "There isn't any point being outraged. You've been here so long and besides that no one will miss you if you vanish. If you protest too much they'll just put you on the list for extinction."_

_Lucia felt a numbness crawl through her. All this time she had been being trained to be a murderer! _

_Tristian watched her tremble before he tugged her from the table and took her place. He offered her the dagger. "Just do it. At this point it's either life as a killer or a painful death."_

_And so she marked him. There were congratulations and plenty of welcomes to the team. The only person who wasn't happy for her was Aria and herself. Aria claimed that she had betrayed her, that they were to be partners. It wasn't in Lucia to admit that she wasn't in to girls and that was the real reason they could have never been partners. It was easier to say she had no control over it. _

_She was given a new room with him, with a single bed. He scoffed and said he had no intention of touching her, she disgusted him. Not to mention she was a baby compared to him, what he'd seen and what he had done. What he would show her how to do. _

_Slowly she made herself adapt to him and his whimsical moods. For the first few months he was a harsh task master, making her push herself. He made her confront her fear of heights. _

_It wasn't a rational fear he said. She caught the first inkling he had grown concerned for her or at least accustomed to her through the class though. _

"_We need to have a good balance. You're useless if you can't do this!" The instructor snapped._

_Lucia was trembling, holding back her tears as she balanced on the thin wire that was high above the ground. Tristian was watching her and she had sworn to become a perfect partner to him. _

"_I'm not useless." She muttered in agitation as the instructor continued to shout abuse at her. _

_The moment of distraction cost her. She shifted slightly and found herself falling through the air. She couldn't even scream as she closed her eyes tightly. _

"_Lucia!" Tristian shouted at her as she tumbled. _

_When she hit the mats he was there to pull her to her feet. He didn't snap at her when she leaned on him for support and instead glared at the instructor and went on a waspish torrent of abuse. _

_Later he took her back to the room and let her sleep off her scare. "Grow stronger. As you are now you're nothing but nuisance. Become useful to me." He told her as he gently pushed some hair from her face. _

"_Yes." She murmured; already well on her way to becoming his perfect partner. _

_It took another year and a half before he decided she was ready for her first mission. It was a bloody affair. The target was an old man, a senator, who an unknown party wanted out of the way. Tristian had used the man to demonstrate for her. _

_He cut through the guys defenses, all his guards with ease. Then he left the big man for Lucia. Tristian had ordered her, shouted at her, been gently convincing. Finally, after a few moments of it Lucia raised her own gun. Through her tears she saw the bullet pierce the skull, watched as he fell to the ground. _

_Tristian was there before she could break down. He held her close for the first time and kissed her lightly, teasingly. He smelled of blood. "You were magnificent Lucia. Your face was so cold even as you cried, like an avenging angel who can't help but remorse her victim." _

_Each time it became easier. Tristian rewarded her with kisses and praise and that became enough to make Lucia try and enjoy it. And she could. She learned to like the victims fear, felt scorn for pleading tears. It wasn't until after they had fled did she feel remorse, did she think of the fact she belonged in hell. _

"_You know you'll destroy yourself if you don't learn to enjoy it." Tristian mentioned in passing. He was leaning on the wall while she sat staring at her cleaned hands. Hands that had been covered in blood just a few moments ago. _

"_I can't help it. It's fun at first but then I think about what I'm doing… What I'm taking away." Her voice was small. _

"_Look just accept it already. This is life for us." _

"_Yes." She said automatically. _

_It wasn't long after that she was made into an Advanced. The injections hurt like nothing else, the serums burned as they shot through her system. Tristian was there through every one, overseeing every dose and keeping antidotes nearby. _

_Tristian was cruel and taunting of her emotions. But he made sure she was okay. _

_Her hair was slowly changing and so were her irises. For a while she had no pigment to either. Then suddenly the roots of her hair turned silver and blue, a curious mix. Her eyes first became a muddy brown and then they darkened to rust, and then concentrated to a bloody crimson. It was only then did the injections stop. _

_She was fourteen at the time. It was then that Tristian took her fully. He had sometimes caressed her and made her addicted to his touches. But on the night she joined the ranks of the Advanced he claimed her fully. _

_Years passed. She was more than happy with Tristian. He was all she needed and at times it seemed he needed her too. She had become a kind of ideal for others with her total submission to him and obvious trust. _

_Then came the day they were attacked at their base of operations. There was another guild of assassins but they were sanctioned by the Government and attacked only targets the government ordered. They used more round about methods. They weren't as bloody. And it seemed they had received an order to destroy the Shadow Fangs. It seemed Lucia and her organization was no longer necessary. _

_They fought as well as they could. Lucia was taken out and grabbed by Tristian, shaken angrily and even smacked to try to rouse her. _

_She was fully surprised when she woke up in a familiar cottage. There was the familiar row of poisons and antidotes on the shelf, poisons she had been injected with to become an Advanced. She had no clue how she had gotten here. The last thing she recalled was being shot in her chest. _

_The door opened and he walked in. When he saw her he froze. Then he was on her. His hands were holding her face and he was… Crying? She couldn't see his face but she felt the wetness of the tears against her own hand that she lifted to his cheek. _

"_I can't believe it. You're back! I thought you'd never wake up! Everyone said that it was useless and I should worry about myself but… Damn it Lucia I was so worried!" _

"_You didn't leave me behind…" She murmured. _

_He shook his head and sighed against her. Her arms had wrapped around him and were clutching him just as tightly. _

"_I couldn't… I just couldn't leave you behind. I thought about it… I almost did. But it…" He sighed and grabbed her into a rough kiss. "From now on Lucia…"_

_The sentence never did finish. He had taken her then with gentleness he'd never really shown before. It was sweet and filled with passion and a new emotion she had always given but never received back. _

_They didn't kill many people during those months, blissful months. They only seriously wounded the people who pursued them, killing only when it was absolutely necessary. Tristian would on occasion take her to town to gather supplies and he would wander off to gather information and meet up with the other members of their group that had managed to escape. _

"_Excuse me? That piece of fruit isn't any good." Lucia jerked back and dropped the bananas she had been examining. _

_A girl with startling red hair and red eyes was there. She was extremely pretty. Two others were behind her, an older woman and a boy roughly the girls' age. _

_The red head giggled. "Well it's definitely no good now. It was already bruised but now it must be inedible." _

_Lucia was guarded. "I didn't ask for an opinion." _

_The man came to stand by the redhead's side. "That wasn't very polite."_

_Lucia narrowed her eyes. Red eyes could on occasion be an anomaly, Tristian had told her. But from the most part the person was either a member of their guild or the Organization. Only the redhead had red eyes and her hair, though a deeper red than you would see naturally wasn't as odd as others she had seen. Lucia had her own hair to judge how whacked some styles could turn after the Advanced procedures. _

"_And suddenly speaking behind someone is polite?" She snapped. _

_The man narrowed his eyes at her sudden forbidding aura while the older woman bit her lip unsurely It was the redhead who giggled softly and smiled. "I guess it was. So in that case let's start over. I'm Raisha. The grump over there is Locke and that's our Aunt Tata. So what's your name?" _

_Lucia tried to detect any form of artifice in the stance the three strangers had, any hidden weapon on their persons. She played the inflection of their voices back in her head before turning away. "It isn't any business of yours." _

_Raisha reached past her and Lucia tracked the movement as Raisha picked up a different bunch of bananas. She offered them to Lucia with a kind smile. "No it isn't. But how else can we become friends?" _

_Lucia turned to meet her gaze. It was completely open and trusting, like a door stood wide open so everyone and anything could look in and see her inner thoughts. _

"_Lucia!" _

_Tristian was by her side suddenly, his gaze blank and indifferent when he looked the three strangers over. _

"_Hello there. I'm Raisha. I was just having a conversation about fruit." She said cheerfully. Tristian wasn't impressed. _

"_I'll let you know if that ever means something to me. Lucia, come on." _

_Lucia went willingly. After that she sometimes bumped into the three strangers, sometimes together sometimes separate. Raisha was persistent. She wouldn't even call Lucia by name until Lucia herself introduced herself. It got so ridiculous being called "Hey girlie" and "you" she eventually caved. _

_It took months but eventually Lucia had completely thawed to them. She laughed and spoke. She was always careful not to reveal too much and became skilled at dodging Tata's leading questions. _

_It even got to the point where Tristian was tolerant of them. One day Lucia was giggling with Raisha when he came up. She had tensed when she felt someone behind her but relaxed fully when she took note of the tread and familiar smell. _

_She felt a foreign object on her neck though. She glanced down as he moved her heavy hair away so he could clasp the necklace. It was a beautiful sapphire necklace… _

"_I have to claim you as mine." He murmured as he kissed her neck. "And besides my treasure has been so good lately. A reward was in order." _

_Lucia smiled as Raisha gushed over the necklaces loveliness. Lucia swore to herself silently she'd never take it off._

_It was a few months later that it all went to hell. Tristian had begun to hang closer to Lucia when she was with Raisha, Locke, and Tata. He rarely talked or was open but he made sure Lucia stayed near him. She suspected it was the same old routine he pulled when they were at the old home. _

_Advanced were possessive over their partners and were fond of claiming an ownership on them. She guessed that he felt slightly threatened by Locke, who had warmed to her and was nicer than Tristian could ever hope to be. _

_Lucia never complained though. Because if male Advanced were possessive then there was nothing a female Advanced liked better than being claimed. Or that was the case with most she had seen. _

_They were all together again when Tristian spun and drew a dagger. "Lucia." He said it simply and it was all it took. _

"_You should run." Lucia said seriously. _

_She turned to look in the direction Tristian was focused. There was a group of people there they'd never seen in town. _

"_Good job Locke, Raisha. Tata taught you better than we thought." The obvious leader said with a smirk. _

_Lucia felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her. When she turned to look at the three they looked shocked and guilty. But beyond that they couldn't even be bothered to try and deny it._

"_Lucia let me explain." Raisha reached out to her but Lucia flinched away, instinctively drawing her gun. _

"_Damn it. We have to go!" Tristian snapped irritably. He pulled a vial of the poison from his pocket and hurled it at the new group. _

_When they scattered to avoid the poison that would immediately launch into the air and linger Tristian grabbed her and dragged her through the town, through twists and turns he had memorized. _

_They made it to the foot of the deep forest that hid their home. Unfortunately it seemed that their enemies had done the homework well. They were already there._

"_Fuck my life." Tristian swore but Lucia caught the gleam of anticipation in his eyes. He loved killing after all. "Lucia, run."_

"_What!?"_

"_You won't be touched while I'm around so just stay out of this one!"_

"_But Tristian I-" _

_He cut her off with his forceful shove that sent her back on her butt. "I told you! I'm telling you again get the hell out of here, now! I'll be using a new poison. I haven't had a chance to get you acclimated to it alright?!" _

_Feeling scared and useless she nodded and stood again. He pressed a couple of vials in her hands. "Use them if you get cornered. You aren't fully acclimated to some of them but you're close enough that all they should do is make you woozy. Go to the second checkpoint." _

_She ran. Every now and then she was stopped but her own skills and gun were enough to get away. Blood covered her from both her and her victims. She was desperate to meet up with Tristian. _

_The last group to corner her was harder. They managed to stab through the muscle of her arm and made it useless. They were actually managing to push her back. Tristian would be so mad if she was killed here!_

"_I don't know why you resist so much. We already killed your partner." One of them smirked. _

"_You're lying!" Lucia spat and hurled a dagger straight in his face. He collapsed and a woman hissed. "We are not! But we don't have to prove it to you. You'll meet him again in hell!" _

_Lucia stabbed the woman as hard as she could as her rage bubbled. It was one thing to say you would kill her. It was quiet another to threaten Tristian. _

_She saw a chance opening and bolted through it, running as fast as her legs could carry her. She was exhausted, her body protesting every movement. Blood congealed around her fingers as she ran. She detested the stickiness of it but she ignored it. _

"_COME BACK HERE!" A voice yelled angrily at her. _

_The sound of pursuit was all around her. She paused a moment to lean against a tree and reach into her pocket. She inhaled the sweet scent a moment. Then she deliberately hurled it to the ground with all her strength. The glass shattered and she smirked a bit. They couldn't follow her now. Tristian was her savior yet again. _

_She stumbled a bit when she pushed from the tree. He would scold her. He had told her to flee and she was deliberately ignored him. He had told her to flee to the second checkpoint which was roughly thirty miles from the first. But she knew Tristian._

_Before he would flee he would return to the cabin. There were poisons he had created special for them, poisons that he would hate for them to get their hands on because they could possibly form antidotes._

_Her feet found the path easily and she ran through the trees. She stumbled into a familiar break between the trees and froze a moment. The door to the cabin was ajar, so careless. More careless than Tristian had ever been. But more important was the blood that was suddenly so clear to her on the green grass. _

_She ran into the cabin with her heart pounding. They had to have been lying! He wasn't so careless; he never would have been hurt so badly!_

_The cabin was torn apart, as though in a fight, many of the vials shattered on the floor. For the most she was immune to the various mixtures but they did cause a headache to spike as she inhaled the conflicting scents. _

_Blood was splattered against the walls and floor, so much. The smell of it was overwhelming and made her gag. She had always hated the smell of blood, taking her cue from him. He liked to spill it but he hated the smell as well. _

_And in the far corner of the small cabin against the wall at an odd angle… Her eyes widened in disbelief as he came sharply to view. _

_Tristian was covered in the sticky red, his eyes closed as he lay in a growing pool of it. She couldn't believe it. Not him… _

_She went and knelt by him. She shook him. She even dared to draw her hand back and smack him. The action caused the body to shift and fall against her. She felt tears fall swiftly down her cheeks as she sat there. Her arms wrapped around him, registering the coldness of him even as her mind rejected it. He just needed her body heat… That was all. _

_She longed for his hands to wrap around her again. She needed him to tell her what to do. But he remained silent. As he continued to grow cold she had to face reality. He wasn't ever going to tell her anything again. _

_It wasn't fair! He was everything she cared about! She loved him! It wasn't fair that he died!_

_She screamed her anguish and sobbed against his body, the first time she had cried in a long time. She had never even told him how she felt, never heard it from him…_

_It took a while but she managed to come up with a plan. She dragged him to the bed after spilling poison all along the perimeter of the cabin. She arranged him so it looked like he was sleeping, just sleeping. She would go do what he would want. She would get revenge and then she would come back here and go from there. _

_She waited until late so that she was sure the shadows would aid her in case anymore of the Organizations little minions were around. She spilled more poison, a large amount that would even kill an elephant within minutes of inhalation. No way would anything be able to reach Tristian now. _

_When she was there she didn't hesitate to break the door. Raisha was sitting in a chair and Locke was up to face her. Relief blossomed on Raisha's face. _

"_Oh Lucia you got out! Listen we need to explain everything that-"_

"_He's dead."_

"_What?" Raisha asked._

"_Tristian is dead and it's all your fault! I trusted you damn it!" _

_Locke gasped. "Wait a minute. Lucia you need to listen, he isn't-"_

_But Lucia was beyond furious. Tristian was the one thing meant to be a constant in her life, her partner, the one she had grown dependent on. Without him she had nothing. _

_As soon as Raisha stepped forward she moved. The dagger she had taken off of Tristian sunk deeply into Raisha's shoulder, directly in the junction between her neck and shoulder. Blood spurt out of the deep wound when Lucia pulled free and moved to strike again. Locke tried to grab her as Raisha fell back in shock. _

_Lucia didn't hesitate to sink a dagger deep into his thigh and then deliver a brutal kick to his face as he sank to his knees. Then she turned her attention to Raisha again. Raisha had been the leader in her mind, the one who insisted on hounding Lucia until her shields were dropped. _

_She pulled the girl to her knees and then took her gun, shooting a bullet in her belly. Raisha didn't fall this time. She rose up to try and defend herself but it came a moment to late. _

_As the two danced around each other Locke had yanked the dagger from his own skin and had called for back up. _

_Lucia was taking small swipes while remaining outside Raisha's range. Soon she looked as though she had gone through a wood chipper with the numerous cuts. Suddenly Lucia removed something from her pocket. His eyes tracked it as she broke it over numerous cuts. _

"_No!" He snapped, recognizing one of the vials that held the poisons Tristian had been famous for. _

_Locke reacted while Lucia was busy. As he charged she half turned to meet him but his own rage beat her own. The dagger plunged its way into her stomach and he brought it up to carve through her skin. Lucia stumbled a bit._

"_NO! Locke don't kill her." Raisha cried out suddenly. _

_Locke pulled back his deadly strike as Lucia stumbled against the wall._

"_Just… stop this." Raisha said. _

"_Forget that." Locke said savagely. "What the hell kind of poison did you put in her? Tell me or else…" _

"_Locke!" Raisha felt the first affects of the poison as her temperature rose dangerously. _

_Lucia laughed suddenly. It made a fearsome sight. She was covered in blood and it leaked from her torn skin as she laughed. "Are you insane? Don't you know? I was trained to fight to the death! A little pain… a little pain is nothing at all compared to what you've taken!" _

_Before she could attack again she was grabbed and injected. Lucia screamed in rage as she went limp, fighting to stay awake a little longer, to kill them. Her last remembrance was Raisha slipping to the ground and into Locke's arms and him screaming her name in desperation. _

Tears and the desire to scream warred in Lucia. The only issue was she didn't know why she would be expressing those emotions. The pain was gone from her head and it was suddenly so easy to remember everything and anything she wanted. Little oh moments were happening left and right in her as she followed various paths and days of her past.

But for the emotions… she could explain her exhaustion. But she didn't know if she cried for her loss of Tristian or the loss of Castiel and her friends. She didn't know if she wanted to scream at the current injustice or the past injustices.

She knew that remembering it had only opened up more questions. Why wasn't she dead… they certainly had no issue killing Tristian and the others. She supposed Locke had saved her but after completely ripping her apart she couldn't imagine why the hell he'd bother.

She had meant to kill Raisha and Locke, to kill as many as she could in fact. She supposed her moment of remorse in giving him the knowledge of the antidote had spared her own life. If she'd known then that would be the reward she wouldn't have bothered…

But what had caused her to sleep so long? And why were her memories ripped from her? And what was she going to do about Deborah?

There was a split about how to handle the school situation. On the one hand she now had all her old instincts and teachings to tell her that they were all useless and that they shouldn't concern her. Though Deborah could be killed easily…

Then there was the Lucia who had gotten close to all of them, who considered them all friends, more in Castiel's case. She wanted to get Deborah out but she too was feeling frosty to the others.

There was only one thing to do. She would just let it play itself out and in the end she would either forgive or she would let the pieces stay fractured.

She was deep in thought about this and waiting for it all to settle when the door swung open. Lucia watched from her position on the couch.

Tata closed the door and immediately spotted her. Tata felt a small chill. The Lucia she had come to live with sat with her legs curled under her. Now the girl had her legs crossed and her hand clasped around the sapphire necklace, a half smile on her lips and mild interest in her eyes.

Tata swallowed a bit at the changed atmosphere. "Lucia I got a call from the principal! What were you thinking? If that girl had died…"

"Oh I'm not sure Tata. It would seem I haven't been thinking for a long time. Or at least not thinking how I should…"

Tata felt another chill sliver down her spine. She tried to maintain her righteous anger as the parental authority. "Listen here missy! Things will be changing around here. If this is what little crushes do to you then I'm afraid I have to-"

"And before you were all for me falling in love. Well what will you do _Auntie?_" She spat the word like it was the vilest thing to her. "Will you ground me? Or maybe, just maybe you'll put Castiel in the ground?" She smirked.

"W-what kind of thing is that to say?" Tata demanded.

Lucia cocked a brow and reclined back. "It's the kind of thing a girl who knows first hand how you operate would say. And I know a lot more than I really want to."

End chapter

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Author note: I wasn't going to stop here but then I looked at the word count. And I think this particular stop is pretty good. So now you know the big secret to Lucia and the Advanced. You know why she was altered in the first place. What you still don't know is the history of the guilds hatred of each other. What Mr. Redfield intends to do about his great defeat and if he can recruit Lucia and the other Advanced back to his side. Perhaps most importantly how will her memories affect her views on Castiel and the other students of Sweet Amoris!


	13. Morphing feelings

Author note: Episode 17… I'm not sure if I love it since Deborah got put in her place or hate it cause it caused so much issue… within the next few chapters Lucia will be receiving an updated profile. She'll be changing as things become unveiled.

_**Germandelights**_: Ah I will definitely be taking you up on tips. Especially considering that the guides for the episodes just stopped coming. (Anyone know why?) Lucia has a plushy now? Wow she is getting popular. Just be patient, Locke and Raisha's reasons will become clear soon. After I finish this business with Deborah.

_**Whiteangelorblackdevil:**_ Heh here it is! I hope you enjoy and your brain goes back to regular thought! Call me dumb but I actually tried to read the random letters before I realized they weren't meant to spell anything.

_**Imissthemisery:**_ Tristian had a small introduction as an active character in chapter 11. I think he had one sentence… (I need to treat the O'cs I make better.) Yes, Lucia will be going through some "Oh shit!" moments. Choosing both though? Dang I wonder if she could handle that much testosterone! Hmm, ideas I love them. Feel free to stalk.

Disclaimer:… yes, I own nothing except OC.

* * *

Chapter start

"So you… remember." Tata sank into the armchair nearest her as the reality fell in on her.

"I remember." Lucia kept her face carefully neutral.

Tata could do nothing but stare. There was so much to say and yet… nothing would be enough, ever.

Lucia for her part kept surprisingly quiet as she waited for Tata to collect her thoughts. Patience was an annoying thing but it could be useful in getting things. Lucia wasn't too keen on knowing anything else anyway. Her brain was rather tired now.

An hour passed in the uneasy silence. Lucia could feel her bodies demand for sleep. She ignored the urge however.

There was no way she would be sleeping under this roof again unless Tata pulled out some world ending theory on why the hell she had been lying to Lucia then and now. Not that then could ever be repaid and now was just a puddle compared to that.

Then again the thought did bring up an interesting thing. "How's Raisha?"

Tata had been sitting there with a glazed look in her eyes. At the sound of her blank voice she startled and gasped. Lucia smiled a bit, enjoying her discomfiture. Then she dropped it. Tata despaired at the coldness in the crimson depths.

"Oh, uh… she's fine. She and Locke are fine. And, uh… they're fine."

"So we've established their fine?" Lucia was sardonic.

"Uh…" Tata chuckled a bit as her face flushed. "Lucia I think… well…"

"I really don't care to hear it." Lucia interjected. "I'm sure you have a well rehearsed novel to explain yourself. Yet nothing you say will change the fact that we were enemies."

When more silence was her answer Lucia rolled her eyes and let her necklace slip from between her fingers. "I'll be leaving tonight."

"Uh hu- wait what! Y-you can't leave!" Tata rose in her agitation.

Lucia spun. "Can't? That really isn't the right track to play."

Tata flinched. "No I know… but just for now please. Just meet with Locke and Raisha. Let us explain everything and then whatever you decide is fine."

Lucia looked her over and was lost. She remembered the fairy costumed adult smiling at her and buying her fruits. They had laughed together and Lucia felt genuine affection for her. But she had betrayed her twice now. Lucia wasn't up for a third strike.

She was on the verge of a harsh refusal when another thought hit her. Where the hell would she go on such short notice?

Her list of friends hadn't been long but they had dwindled. And at this point she wouldn't be willing to touch the apartment building Castiel lived in, let alone go cuddle with him.

Rosalya was an option but the girl mostly stayed with Leigh and Leigh equaled Lysander. Though the gentlemanly teen was also on her side he was close to Castiel. And that was something she didn't need to see, Castiel cuddled up with Deborah in his little "harem."

Lucia assured herself she was not avoiding him. She would not be made weak for any man like she had with Tristian. Tristian had made her absolutely crazy without him, his death had shattered her. Locke wouldn't have been able to touch the core of what she was if she had had Tristian to hold to in her mind, making him happy.

She was not running away. When it came time she would face Castiel in the halls and in class. She'd probably see him in town if she decided to stay. She just didn't see any reason to go wantonly throwing herself into the lions den. It wouldn't serve a purpose and would certainly only reward her with a headache.

So Lucia hesitated a moment and turned to glance out from the window. "There isn't any reason to trust you." Then she sighed. "I'll give you a shot but only because he needs to explain things."

"Alright. Lucia I-" Tata trailed off before trying again. "I'm really sorry… it was just so complicated and… we didn't mean to hurt you."

Lucia thought a hot shower sounded really heavenly. "We'll see."

The next morning Lucia wondered if she should bother going to school or if she should wake Tata up. If things didn't go her way she would be leaving Sweet Amoris anyway. The ties she had to the school had been severed affectively. Despite the fact that managed to hurt her she knew she could leave without a permanent issue. That was her specialty.

It was decided for her. Tata was extremely apologetic but she said Locke wasn't going to be in his office until after five. Lucia could go to see Raisha now if she wanted.

Lucia wanted to see them all in the same room. It was a personal thing. She wanted all their versions of the story. She also wanted to connect the three, to better unite her past with them to the present she lived in.

And so she found herself walking through the halls of her school. She hadn't wanted to sit in boredom at the house and figured this place would give her some amusement.

Of course Rosalya was waiting for her with some others. Lucia cocked a brow at who she saw next to the silver haired girl. There was Armin and Nathaniel and surprisingly enough Alexy.

"Lucia there you are!" Rosalya gave her a hug that Lucia didn't return. It just wasn't in her for now.

"What is this about?" Lucia asked casually. "I hardly need the abuse so if you'll excuse me."

Alexy flinched at the coldness in her tone and Lucia hated the guilt that curled in her. She hadn't drawn the line after all. Armin looked apologetic. Only Nathaniel stood strong under her frigid disposition to them. He figured he deserved it after all.

"Listen Lucia! We have a plan. Were going to oust Deborah once and for all." Rosalya said with a smile.

"You and your schemes." Lucia let a smile on her face. "Yet aren't these two in the angelic Deborah fan club?"

"Listen Lucia I believe you!" Alexy burst out and moved to hug her.

Lucia acted without thought. She shifted to the left and watched as he stumbled to the ground. He looked up at her with hurt puppy eyes and another wash in guilt assaulted her.

"Do not touch me." She snapped.

"You had that coming." Rosalya said seriously. "Moving right along Alexy does provide us with a nice inside track to Deborah."

"I'm sure." Lucia muttered.

Alexy was helped to his feet by Armin. "No listen. I should never have not believed you."

"What was your first clue?" Lucia asked, closing her eyes as she let out a breath. Rosalya had put a hand on her shoulder.

Something was different about Lucia. It was more than being a sudden outcast. She was more concentrated in some ways and yet the exact same in others. She had always had a waspish tongue but now it was more pointed and deliberate, her jabs. She had always been sketchy of physical contact except with Rosalya and Castiel.

She had never however outright refused to be touched by people she had been around for awhile. She might not have returned the contact but she wouldn't flip.

Alexy was quick to explain. "She was too upset. That was my first clue. She had just met you and she was that upset about you not being friendly? I would have at least listened but then Violette was there and you vanished. Then Deborah wouldn't go near Nathaniel even though everyone said he could help. She wouldn't go near Lysander and Rosalya either after she saw them talking to you. And then Armin talked to me and convinced me."

Lucia blinked slowly and searched them all in the face. She wouldn't trust them again but she wouldn't reject it either. "And you Nathaniel? Won't Melody jump on her high horse if you talk to me?"

Nathaniel grimaced. "Please show her some respect. Deborah has been seen as a friend for a long time."

"I care so much for the reasons." Lucia scoffed.

"Listen I'm here because I was wrong. It was wrong to leave you alone like that when I knew what Deborah was capable of." Nathaniel sighed and clutched his clipboard closer.

Lucia nodded after a moment before a secretive smile appeared. "It may have done me a favor in that regard."

Before they could ask she continued on. "I don't really care about Deborah at this point. There are more important things and yet I can't let her stay on her pedestal."

"Lucia?" Alexy asked.

Lucia realized she had been muttering the last part of her sentence. She smiled and glanced at Rosalya. "What do you need me to do? I can do a bit but I can't really focus on it for now."

"Well wifey first is I need you to stay low."

"Oh easy." Lucia shrugged.

"Because subtlety is your selling point now." Nathaniel said with disbelief.

Lucia smirked and grasped her necklace. "Things are different."

She didn't bother explaining herself. As she walked through the halls she had to admit it felt better than before despite the whispers piercing through her. The students were like a dog with a bone and unwilling to let it go. She suspected that even after Deborah was gone she would never regain her former standing without serious backpedaling and groveling on her part.

And that was as likely as her becoming the first female pope. But she had all of herself back now and that made a difference in her tolerance.

It was just her own bad luck that the first class she had was with a group of her new haters. Melody and Iris chiefly. Violette was such a little mouse she barely counted. Really her biggest issue was can't-stay-out-of-anyone's-business Peggy.

The reporter girl quickly situated herself next to Lucia who had uncharacteristically chosen to sit in the desk closet to the door.

"So how does it feel to be the most hated person in school?" Peggy asked with the usual smile. When Lucia didn't even blink she tried again. "I heard there was a fight in the halls yesterday."

Was there nothing this annoying creature didn't hear? "Why you think I know anything is beyond me."

"Well you have been the cause of all the little dramas lately. Why not this one?" Peggy smirked.

"How justifiable." She muttered. Before Peggy could respond Castiel walked in the room.

It was another small curse that Lucia had the first three bells plus her seventh with him. Not to mention the club but that was avoidable.

Lucia stayed still even as she noted his pausing. His eyes scanned the back rows and she knew instinctively he searched for her. When he did finally locate her she had schooled her face to be impassive and even slightly bored.

"Lucia about what I said before…" He began but she closed it out and pushed her voice out.

"Hush would you? Class is starting." She didn't look at him and after a second of it he went to his usual seat in the back.

It caused a small hurt to throb in her. She hadn't been able to guess how seeing him would feel and it pained her to say it just hurt. There wasn't any of the anger she had hurled at him yesterday or anything else except emptiness.

It wasn't easy conjuring an image of Tristian in that moment but she tried, clutching the sapphire necklace he had given her. But the thing was there would never have been a normal life with Tristian like what she could have now with someone.

Tristian and she would have always been bound to Shadow Fang and it was an irreversible fact that none of them lived particularly long lives. His parents themselves had both died in their thirties a few years after having him. She had never seen any person, not even an Advanced, last long when activated. The line of work they did made a family and normalcy a far off and stupid dream.

She could tell herself she loved Tristian still and that was mostly true. But he was dead. And more to the point she had lived almost a whole year now with only the shadow of him and with Castiel. She had lived normal.

Her life wasn't the bleak acceptance of being a killer. It wasn't focused on making Tristian happy and proud to have her be his partner.

She had spent the time without her memories growing attached to another man. Despite the inner disgust and sense of betrayal that had bloomed within her to think of it she couldn't deny it. Castiel smiled at her and though there was sarcasm there never had been any real urge to dominate and control her on his part.

It was hard to pinpoint who she was, what she was reacting to. She wasn't the same girl who was revered as a perfect partner. She wasn't the suicidal and empty girl she had become after her world had shattered. She wasn't the girl she'd been without her memories. Lucia didn't know who she was anymore. It didn't seem prudent to get involved with too much until she was sure.

"So are you going to tell me something or not?" Peggy demanded.

Lucia looked at her. "Does it make you happy digging into things that have no need for you?"

Peggy looked seriously affronted. "I'm doing my job! It isn't my fault that you can't keep out of trouble."

"No, doing your job means getting the facts, all facts even if they don't agree with the popular version." Lucia suddenly snapped. "But the thing of it is Peggy is you're so damned self centered that you don't care if what you write is going to hurt someone or even if it is the truth. No, all you care about is your reviews."

A part of her warned she was going too far. But she couldn't stop. She needed to relieve something and Peggy was an easy target. "The sad thing of it is you run around getting some twisted satisfaction out of digging through people's closets and then wonder why people don't like you. I mean there's a difference between naiveté and just being thick."

"There isn't any reason to be waspish to me Lucia. I didn't start this." Peggy said grimly.

Lucia scoffed as the anger left her and she was just sickened by the whole thing. "No but you aren't helping matters either. You just add to it."

Peggy was quiet and Lucia rolled her eyes. For the rest of the class Peggy was silent. Lucia thought she might have pierced the thick shell a bit. But types like Peggy weren't put out for long.

By third bell sleep had taken hold of her. The bell rang to signal the end of third period. Lucia groaned a bit with annoyance and rubbed her bleary eyes. Before she could leave Castiel was there. She had been doing so good dodging him in the halls and avoiding him in class too…

"Are you going to keep avoiding me?" His arms were crossed and his featured were tight. Whether with anger or something else Lucia couldn't figure out.

"Just doing like you told me." She said calmly.

She had made it out into the halls and was debating skipping. She had done her duty. Whatever plan Rosalya had she was sure it could be handled without her and in fact she preferred it that way. She wasn't inclined to just oust Deborah, she wanted her dead.

It was her makeup. If there was an annoyance she had been trained to deal with it in a permanent way. That wasn't who she was anymore though.

Castiel was there in front of her again. "Would you just listen to me?" He snapped.

"For someone who never wanted to see me again you sure do like blocking me." She said.

Later Lucia would blame her distraction on everything going wrong. She would not admit that she tracked the movement and let it happen.

She was slammed rather roughly against the lockers. Castiel had a bruising grip on her arms but when she thrashed and prepared to punch him he caught both her hands and held them above her head. Though students paused to watch he sent them a glare that contained flame and frost. Tristian himself would have been proud.

It pissed her off to no end that even now that she was aware of her body's strengths she still couldn't overpower him. She was an Advanced after all. Her pride was stung horridly at her weakness on all counts.

After she recognized she couldn't escape she huffed, dropping against the locker and glancing down the hall at the students Castiel had sent scurrying. This was not a place she liked.

She was too aware of his grip on her.

"Is this what I have to do to get your attention?!" He was angry, good. It sparked her own anger to a higher level.

Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Let me go!" She tried to free her hands and make him go back but he tightened his grip and stepped forward instead so that his body was brushing her own. Lucia could have cursed at the familiar intimacy of the position.

"Not until you listen to me!" Castiel snapped.

"… Alright I'm listening." She said condescendingly.

Her words hit Castiel. He first registered the dismissal in them. It was the kind of dismissal that burned. It shocked him so much that his grip slackened and he let her hands drop. She wasted no time in stepping away from him and crossing her arms.

"Well if you're done I'll be going." She said when he was silent, his mind reeling. Her voice and the cold judgment in her tone made him rally. Though most of the anger was forced now.

"An old friend has come here with an honest offer. It comes from one who already has her own band and she wants me to play with her. This is an amazing opportunity. If you wanted what was best for me as you say then you'd understand."

Lucia wasn't sure what to say to him anymore. She wasn't even really mad. She was annoyed but it wasn't anymore than he usually annoyed her. She was just… in a place she couldn't explain.

She had opened up to him completely and he had taken a knife to it. It made for plenty of thought food.

"It doesn't have anything to do with me. I can't stop you from putting your trust in someone who already hurt you once."

Castiel grunted. "She only put her career ahead of me. I would have done the same."

Lucia couldn't help rolling her eyes. "No, I know you. You wouldn't abandon someone without thought or regret."

He fell silent again as he tried to think of a way to refute her statement. Eventually she stepped around him and went down the empty halls. She paused and turned again. "By the way all that could be wrong. The Castiel I knew had some style and class. The one I see now is missing that."

She turned again after the final remark. He waited. He was certain she would have to turn around again so he kept his gaze on her. He kept it on her until she went through the entrance doors.

It was then he wondered if maybe he hadn't fractured their relationship more than he thought. Lucia didn't trust easily, he had known that. She had opened to him completely and he had been too furious to appreciate it. Now she was closed down. He would never admit aloud that he hoped it was just a reaction to the whole situation and not just him.

Lucia would have turned around, like Castiel thought she would have. But if she had one thing left to her that she'd never give up it was her pride. The pride of not only an Advanced but also the pride of a woman.

So it came to it that nobody saw the tears that pricked her eyes after she left Castiel behind.

Tata was a woman of many excuses. The fairy didn't jump at all when Lucia opened the door to the apartment. The girl didn't even acknowledge her. She went and sat on the couch as far from Tata as she could get.

"I'm sorry Lucia. But Locke was called away on a mission with Raisha. They should be back in a week."

"Whatever."

Lucia tuned Tata out after that.

She couldn't get to sleep that night. Her bed felt oddly cold and it was making her miss Castiel. He had been a very warm sleeping partner. Not to mention Demon had always been willing to curl up with her.

She realized she had to go get the clothes she'd left at his home. As she thought about it she sighed. Rosalya could go with her.

Castiel wasn't alone. He was at the clothing store in fact well past midnight. Lysander and Rosalya were there as well. Rosalya was having the time of her life glaring at him.

Lysander had remained wisely silent on the matter. Somehow the Victorian styled teen had managed to remain courteous to the singer. The manners were more noticeable when you added Rosalya's less than friendly disposition.

The silver haired girl was practically breathing frost she was so cold to Deborah.

It had all been turned to Castiel since he was still in the room. Deborah was down stairs waiting for him.

"I need to go." Castiel said after a moment.

Lysander voiced a goodbye but Rosalya merely huffed. As soon as the redhead vanished down the stairs Lysander looked at her. "That was rather rude."

Rosalya rounded on him and he saw the livid anger in her eyes. "It's his fault. How dare he bring that person here? It's like he's forgotten all about Lucia!"

Lysander sighed and glanced at the door. "I do not believe that is his intention…"

Rosalya didn't respond. Her face said it all.

As for Castiel he met Deborah outside the building. She was leaning against the wall. As soon as she saw him the blankness left her face and she lit up like a Christmas tree.

There it was. The familiar smile that still caused him to stir. Her whole body reflected her happiness, her eyes sparkled and her whole being was opened. It was achingly familiar and it was his ideal.

Ever since he had met Deborah she had become his ideal woman. She was nice and gentle. She was soft. More than that her voice was like an angels. Castiel really did think that then and now. Her passion for music rivaled his.

He remembered with fondness the many nights they had simply talked of their dreams. Deborah longed to sing for crowds, she wanted others to hear her words. It had always been his dream to play in a band but after meeting her, knowing her, his dream shifted to playing with her.

And then she had left. The weight of it had crushed him horribly. Even as he had told himself it was for her career he couldn't help but feel inadequate. If he hadn't been good enough to follow her down that golden path then what good was he at all?

Other girls hadn't helped. They were just bodies that had warmed him for a few hours. Some of them had brown hair like hers, some of them had eyes bluer than hers. None of them could compare to all she had been to him.

Deborah came and immediately took his arm. She hated his motorcycle because it messed her hair up so they had walked. Castiel wasn't sure how she intended to walk the two miles in her booted heels.

She was his ideal. The only reason he felt off was because she had been gone so long and then appeared so suddenly. Castiel was sure of it. There was absolutely no other reason…

There was suddenly an image of another girl. A girl whose real smiles were as soft as a snowflake and rare as a double rainbow. A girl who made no apologies for who she was even when she thought she had no clue who she was. A girl who could kick ass on the drop of a dime.

Castiel smiled as he remembered her smiling, laughing as Demon licked her all over. He remembered her face as it was gentle and serene in sleep. Her face when she was annoyed, her face when Rosalya made her try on a million outfits.

His smile faltered as he recalled the last expression she had given him. One of open honesty and then pained realization and hurt. After that he hadn't seen a single one of her other expressions.

He was brought back to the present when Deborah pressed against him and made him stop. They were passing the park.

The expression she gave him could only be called flirty and suggestive. She trailed her hand down his arm as she stepped away until she held only his fingers.

"Remember this Kitten?" Her voice had dropped.

His body was reacting to the familiar signals. The park was a first for many of his memories with Deborah. It was where he first asked her out, it was their first date. It was the place they first made love, underneath a tree close to the pond.

Castiel let her pull him into the park, let her guide him down the trail. When she reached a bench she turned and went into his arms. Caught in his memories of her he bent his head and kissed her as he had longed to do. It was familiar and known and all he remembered.

It wasn't until he had gotten them both close to naked and reached to grasp her breast that he opened his eyes. He looked at the mounds and unconsciously looked for scar tissue. He swallowed convulsively and then he stepped away.

Deborah had narrowed her eyes at him. "Kitten what is it?"

Castiel wanted to snap that wasn't his name but with her he couldn't. So he stayed silent. He picked his shirt off from the ground and re-buckled his jeans. He sat on the bench heavily.

"Well this is probably wise. I can't be being caught naked in public anymore!" Deborah laughed easily. "But if it was you I'd take the risk."

Castiel had a flirty comeback to the sentence but he couldn't get it past his lips. Instead he sighed and closed his eyes.

"Anyway I have something for you." She said brightly and plopped by him.

He took the envelope from her hand and opened it, tearing into the soft paper. He pulled out a transfer forum to transfer to the school in the city and also a bus ticket.

"I have it all arranged." She gushed. "We can leave in a week! Sooner if you want. My agent should be able to get you into the school easily and then it's you and me." When he remained silent her eyes grew concerned. "Kitten, what is it?"

Castiel couldn't exactly spill everything he was thinking. She pushed him however and it made him cave slightly. She always had known how to use her puppy dog eyes.

"It's just I had a fight is all."

"Oh?" She gave him a knowing look. "Did you kick their ass?"

Castiel smiled faintly. "I think we both got our asses kicked."

As soon as Deborah heard the name Lucia in his explanation her face tightened in displeasure. It was hard to school her expression into one of concern. It seemed no matter what she did that bitch was in his thoughts!

She had to do something. There had never been a time when she wasn't sure she had Castiel permanently in her pocket. But now it seemed as if he was growing too big for her to keep.

Lucia was having a good yet confusing dream. There was a bird beating its wings against a chair…

Finally the noise pulled her from her sleep and she registered the rocks spattering against her window. She tensed off of instinct.

Her hand slipped between her sheets and pulled out a butcher knife. She thought with some regret about the dagger collection Tristian had kept, daggers soaked in poisons and other toxic things.

She rose quietly and went to her window. She used the tip of the knife to just barely shift the closed curtains as she stood to the side to avoid being seen. Her eyes were narrowed as she anticipated a threat.

Then she recognized Rosalya. The silver haired girl was with Nathaniel, Armin, and Lysander and a boy she didn't recognize.

Lucia groaned as she put the knife down and threw her curtains open. When she opened the window she barely dodged the volley of pebbles that flew passed her head. With deliberate vindictiveness she gathered some in her hand. Lucia poked her head out the window again and tossed them deliberately at the gathered group.

"It is five in the morning on a Saturday." She said with barely leashed anger. "What the hell?!"

The boy smiled and laughed at her. It gave a spike to her anger. He would be the first one she stabbed.

"The same as ever Lucia. I don't know why I thought you'd change!"

"Come down here! We have something to discuss." Rosalya said.

Lucia sagged against the window seal. The look she gave them was one of extreme reluctance and stubbornness. "No."

Rosalya was never one to be told no however. The girl went on a torrent of scolding. Lucia yawned and closed one eye as she focused on her friend. She wasn't sure what she would do without Rosalya. The silver haired girl had become the only one she'd trust with only a minute hesitation.

At the end of it all though she still said a tired "No."

Lucia slammed the window and crawled back into her bed. She situated the knife again and snuggled deeper into the comforter and pillows. Tata might have been a lying old hag but she had bought Lucia a million pillows. The girl's biggest weakness.

She was about half way asleep again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Instinct took over completely in that moment. She grabbed the knife and rolled, slashing it towards the unknown body. There was a grunt of surprise and then it was expertly twisted from her hand.

It was the new boy from before. The others were just coming in. He stashed the knife before they could see it. Despite the thoughtfulness of the gesture she was livid.

"Get the hell out!" She practically shouted, tossing the covers off herself.

As soon as she did the boys all looked pointedly away. Rosalya however was giggling a little.

Lucia was wearing her bra and a pair of bikini underwear for bed and nothing else. In her defense Tata had old lady bones and kept the heat up to the level of deserts.

"And who is this?!" Lucia snapped, pushing the boy away from her bed as she sat back down.

"Um… remember the geeky kid with glasses who was madly in love with you?" He asked with his eyes fixed to the carpet.

Lucia closed hers. "Ken."

"One thing. I prefer Kentin now." He said.

Lucia blinked stupidly for a minute. "Wha- Ken!"

"Tin." He added with a smile. "You really haven't changed have you? You always were nice to me and yet at the same time totally uncaring."

"You know me so well." Lucia smirked. "Oh for fucks sake! You guys act like you haven't ever seen a naked woman before!"

Rosalya burst out laughing. Lucia looked around to see the girl digging through her closet.

"My goodness Lucia! I understand you have your own personal style but where's lingerie? Where's the see through undies!" The girl cried out. "Honestly how you intend to attract a guy… your looks will get you there but as soon as they see this mess. Gah!"

Looking around Lucia wanted to laugh. It seemed her "mess" worked pretty well on these guys.

"It's official. After we get rid of that annoying girl were going shopping, no objections!"

"See the thing is with you there are always objections. You just never listen to them." Lucia sighed.

Rosalya gave her a look. "Yeah, yeah put these on. Were here for a meeting!"

"I'm here for sleeping." Lucia retorted. "How did you even get in?"

"Your Aunt let us in as she was leaving." Nathaniel supplied.

Lucia ground her teeth at the news. She already had the fairy on thin ice. Any more and Lucia would drown her.

Still she didn't bother fighting anymore as she dragged on the clothing Rosalya tossed at her. The boys didn't look at her until after she had pulled the black and slinky dress and tights on.

After that they all sat in various spots. Rosalya leaned against the desk that Nathaniel had sat down at. Lysander and Armin sat on her bed with her while Kentin sat on the floor.

Lucia looked Kentin over with an appraising look. "We're going to have a talk buster."

Kentin smiled happily. "Looking forward to it!"

"Well then let's get down to business!" Rosalya said. "I've got a full proof plan to beat Deborah at her own game."

"How so?" Lysander asked with a mild curiosity in his eyes.

"Easy. She gets off on tricking us. We're going to trick her by making her lose her manager."

Since a response from her was expected Lucia said drolly. "Sounds possible."

"Yea, and how?" Nathaniel retorted with his brow furrowed.

"With my Leigh of course! We'll dress him up."

Lucia cocked her brow. Leigh was not her first choice. He seemed too soft and unassuming. She had been witness to his jelly fish personality when she helped salvage his and Rosalya's relationship.

She remained silent however as Rosalya went on about how she would work with him.

"Well then Wifey which team will you be with?" Rosalya smiled at her.

"I'll go shopping." Lucia said, smiling at the disbelief that flickered through everyone's face. "What? It would be safer for now if I avoided Deborah and that mess."

"And you're actually willing to sit out?" Nathaniel asked.

When Lucia only shrugged Lysander looked at her with narrowed eyes. She tried to look innocent. "Lucia has something more happened…?"

Lucia wondered what their reactions would. Through knowing them there had always been her amnesia. Now that it was gone she was surprised she hadn't changed horrifically. The fragments she had glimpsed randomly had always hinted at extreme violence.

Lucia could admit she liked pain to a degree and anything she couldn't tolerate she would rather inflict. But she had never been some blood thirsty monster. She had done what she was taught to do.

There were some instincts that were stronger now though. Like her instinct to remain shadowed and not in the open. It didn't seem worth it to get involved with and run around for others now. She would for a gain however.

The only gain in getting rid of Deborah would be a personal satisfaction. If she was lucky the singer would be violent so Lucia could work out her frustrations the fun way.

Lucia smiled secretly. "Oh… I'll tell you later." She winked.

Lysander and Nathaniel exchanged looks while Kentin looked at her. Rosalya brushed it aside and the moment was broken.

After another hour Lucia was more than ready to curl back up in her bed. It was more than obvious since she was resting her head on Rosalya's shoulder. The silver haired girl shook her awake every few minutes.

Finally they all had their roles. Rosalya, Armin, and Lysander departed. Nathaniel and Kentin remained behind.

"Are you ready to go?" Nathaniel asked.

"Do I have to go now?" Lucia groaned.

She had fallen over on the couch when Rosalya moved. Her head was cushioned by her arm as she yawned.

"I think so." Kentin laughed at her. "Come on, let's go."

"… Fine."

Lucia supposed this was good. They had a plan and tomorrow she would take part in knocking Deborah off the cliff she stood on. If that didn't scream "fun" then Lucia didn't know what did.

* * *

Author note: I done, yay. Next chapter we see the remainder of episode 17. I got one thing to say about the MCL episode 13. I was mere points away from finishing the episode. But candy just had to be a neat freak! DX

And also it said if the boy had over 50 affection for you they'd be jealous of who you chose for basement duty. Well Nathaniel had 3 points and yet he was offended. What the heck? He shouldn't even like me enough to be jealous! I think Nathaniel has some major issues.

See you all next chapter!


	14. Decisions

_**Author note**_: Chapter, chapter. Have you all realized my title names have flagged down? If you have any ideas for future chappie names let me know! Read the bottom note please?

_**Germandelights:**_ Here it is. I hope you like this chappie as much as the others. As for a cold Lucia we shall see how she is in a bit… you'll understand after you read, Muahahaha!

_**Imissthemisery:**_ probably missed it because he had one line and then nada. Ha I know that much testosterone with me would go great… for about five seconds then it'd be pitchfork time! No she didn't cut him. Kentin has super military ninja skills now apparently. (Lucky pixel guy!) I get that face too. But that's because I sit there and I study the person and then I be friendly.

* * *

_**Chapter start**_

Lucia yawned as she walked into the school. Nathaniel and Kentin separated from her rather thankfully. She had been particularly waspish by anyone's standards. Nathaniel had improved the situation by buying her coffee. Coffee could only extend so far.

"I'm never letting Rosalya wake her up again." Kentin muttered to himself as he wandered away.

It wasn't just her sleepiness. Though that was a big part of it. Everyone who knew her was aware that given a choice Lucia loved to take naps wherever she was. Being woken up was never a good thing for her.

She was feeling horrid however for another reason. She was just confused. She wasn't sure what she should be doing. Ousting Deborah was all well and good but this life wasn't hers. Her life was in the shadows.

Briefly she considered trying to get into contact with Mr. Redfield. There was always that chance he was still operating. But she never had been a cold blooded killer. The idea of killing again was as sickening as it was plausible.

She knew she could still pull a trigger. She knew she could still break a neck.

She also knew that staying low in school meant not doing anything to draw attention to herself. And the way to do that was to dodge classes. Lucia smiled softly at the thought. It would draw attention if she went to classes without sleeping after all.

"The fact you have the guts to come back here after everything… how admirable."

The voice of the one Lucia was sure she hated most right now stood behind her. Lucia turned and kept her face neutral.

"You know I bet you'd be famous if you let me hang you by your vocal cords." She commented.

Deborah smiled. They stood facing each other for a few moments. Finally Lucia was indifferent and turned to go. She hummed to herself pleasantly. Even if she wasn't able to hurt Deborah physically it still was nice to think of Rosalya's scheme. Deborah would be livid.

Lucia glanced out the building to see Castiel by her sleeping tree. She heaved a sigh and walked by him. He watched her as she placed a hand against the familiar trunk. He didn't even show shock at the grace she showed as she made her way to the branches.

He waited until she was settled in her familiar position. It brought back the way he had first found her, the way her thigh had been bare to him.

They didn't speak to each other. Castiel kept his eyes to the ground as he smoked and listened to his Ipod. Lucia closed her eyes and tried not to be so aware of his proximity.

Later Rosalya pulled her aside. "It's time."

Together they went to the main hallway where they met Armin. He pointed and the girls poked their heads around the corner. Lucia immediately raised her eyebrows.

Leigh was unrecognizable. Lucia thought the suit had looked amazing on Nathaniel. It looked right on Leigh. And the glasses shading his eyes were just pure arrogance. Lucia loved it.

She looked at Rosalya who looked like she would float away with happiness. "Someone looks like they ate the canary and the cream."

"That's my Leigh. I told you he could do this."

Lucia shared a smile with her before she glanced back at Leigh and Deborah. The salesman was putting forth just the right amount of indifference in his voice as he spoke with a suaveness Lucia never would have thought him capable.

"And you came all this way just to see me?" Deborah on the other hand was putting too much honey in her simpering voice.

Lucia couldn't believe she would be fishing for compliments from potential employers.

Leigh took it in his own stride. He leaned against the lockers, cool as frost. "Not really."

Lucia could see the singer wasn't thrilled with that response. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Then why are you here?"

"I was in the neighborhood. I'd heard good things so I was curious."

Deborah nodded perceptively with a thoughtful look on her face. "But… I already have a manager."

Leigh cocked a brow. "Indeed and how masterfully your career is being managed." Sarcasm dripped from every calm word.

Lucia had to choke her laugh inside. The look that crossed Deborah's face was beyond priceless. Armin covered her mouth as Rosalya sent her an alarmed look. After a moment Lucia pushed Armin away and went back to listening.

"… You could be so much more. With my management you'd be a star shooting right to the top. No more of this dinky little town. You'd be famous worldwide." Leigh completed.

The picture he painted must have been inspiring. Deborah was smiling again. "Just… I need to call my manager…"

"You have five minutes. That's all the time I can spare without a guarantee I'm afraid. Another thing… this offer is for you only. I'm not interested in your band. My company will set you up with other stars."

Deborah looked calculating. "You know… you're being very rude to me. You could be a little nicer…" She leaned against him.

Rosalya stiffened. Lucia barely had time to grab the girl before she bolted and started a fight worthy of Lucia's. Armin looked hopeless for a moment before he too grabbed the girl around the middle. Lucia let go as he fell against the wall, smashing her into it.

"Get her out of here!" Lucia snapped breathlessly.

Lucia watched Armin drag her out with a hand covering her mouth. He ducked into a classroom. Lucia glanced around to see Leigh letting Deborah drape herself all along him. The blue eyes were hooded as she began to reach up with her hands.

She was halted by Leigh's cold indifference. "Clocks ticking." He said softly.

Lucia wouldn't have believed the slightly unaware salesman could be so firm and cold. But it certainly put Deborah off. The girl backed off and went away with her cell phone in her hand.

Lucia couldn't resist following her. Deborah dipped into another classroom. Lucia wasn't particularly interested in what she said though. She leaned against the wall and waited.

"Well I have someone better than you!" The voice was raised in anger. Lucia cocked a brow. This was good. Deborah was definitely burning bridges.

She listened with some enjoyment as Deborah apparently engaged in some screaming match with her manager. It seemed Deborah dearest wasn't selling well anymore. It wasn't surprising. The girl had an average voice tied with lackluster lyrics.

Though Lucia understood now why Deborah had come back for Castiel. She wanted to use him. How typical. And something that couldn't happen. Lucia wanted to strangle herself. For a moment, just a moment, she had entertained the thought maybe Deborah cared an iota for Castiel but now…

Before the thoughts could fester the classroom door opened. Deborah locked eyes with Lucia's stormy ones and felt a small moment of hesitation. Then she smiled victoriously.

"You needn't glare at me." She said. "I'll be leaving soon and you can have your little school again."

Lucia was struggling to keep her temper in check. The last thing she needed was Deborah figuring out the plan and getting her old manager back. But it was so very hard. She almost wished her memories hadn't returned. Because with the damnable things in her head came the old self control she'd been taught.

She was aware of the pitfalls she would be stepping in if she beat Deborah into a blood smear.

"And where does Castiel fix into this new plan?" Lucia asked conversationally. Her voice was light and airy, indifferent and polite.

Deborah heaved a sigh. "He doesn't."

"You're going to leave him again? How unwomanly of you."

"You little bitch!"

Lucia and Deborah both startled as Rosalya was thundering down the hall in a blur of motion. Lucia saw the livid anger in her friend's eyes. Despite the bad taste it left in her mouth Lucia stepped in front of Deborah and caught Rosalya. It surprised her when she actually stumbled back when confronted with Rosalya's full weight. Armin was running tiredly behind.

"Sorry. I couldn't stop her anymore."

"How dare you flirt with my boyfriend!" Rosalya snapped as she thrashed in Lucia's grip.

"Wha…? What are you talking about? I didn't even know you had a boyfriend!" Deborah said.

"Excuse me…" Leigh was suddenly there, taking Rosalya from Lucia. The girl went limp in his arms but her anger still radiated off her in waves.

"Your boyfriend is a manager?" Deborah asked with widened eyes.

Lucia stepped away as Leigh looked at her blankly. "No he isn't! Leigh owns the clothes shop!" Rosalya said.

"… You did not just tell her that." Lucia muttered.

Deborah looked between them all, disbelief large on her face. Lucia remained still under the scrutiny. Then Deborah focused completely on her and anger roared to life. "Why you little…!"

Rosalya shoved the singer away when she lunged. "Get to the student council room. Nathaniel had a surprise there." Armin whispered in her ear.

Though it irked Lucia to a great degree she stepped back and went down the hall. She didn't run as they all seemed to expect. She was aware of Deborah following. She knew the singer wouldn't start an open scene. It would damage her angelic reputation after all.

As she opened the teachers lounge door she wondered what was supposed to be in here. The room looked largely non useful. The door reopened and Deborah stepped in behind her, firmly shutting the door.

"Well then this is cozy isn't it?" Deborah said pleasantly.

She advanced and Lucia cocked a brow. "Keep away would you? Even if I was into girls I don't know where you've been."

Deborah laughed a bit. "You know you've been a thorn in my side. I normally never have this much trouble."

"Sounds like you're in enough trouble without my help." Lucia commented.

"What because I lost a manager? Please. There will be more, especially since I'll have Castiel."

"He hasn't agreed to anything." Lucia carefully stated, keeping her anger at his name being used by her tightly leashed.

"He will. You think because I lost one manager I can't get another? With Castiel's flair we'll get a record deal easily. And then I'll drop him again like before."

"You've already planned all that out? How commendable you are." Lucia snapped.

"Well why not? He's just like everyone else in this useless school. Stupid and gullible. He'd believe anything you told him just like everyone else in this bumpkin school!"

Lucia finally snapped, wanting to break the girl through a wood chipper. "No, that's where you're wrong. Castiel can actually have real feelings unlike you. He's a real man, you self centered little girl. And it's time you learned a little girl like you can't just throw on some fake charms and play with the adults."

Deborah advanced more, going so far as to remove her gloves. A smile flickered across Lucia's face. If Deborah made the first move how lovely it would be.

"I've never had to resort to violence before." The singer mused. "But you just keep on pushing."

"Oh I'm shivering." Lucia smirked.

"You should- wait what is that?" Deborah paused.

Lucia tracked her gaze and followed it. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say it's a desk." Her eyes encountered the little red light and she almost laughed. So this is what Nathaniel planned!

"I have got to give Nathaniel some more devious points." Lucia muttered with a small chuckle.

"You- you knew…! This can't be!" Deborah snapped.

'Well I'll leave you to wallow in defeat." Lucia commented before stepping out the door. As soon as she was out she burst into laughter. Even if she didn't get to physically hurt the bitch it was hilarious hurting her image.

"Wait a minute!"

Deborah swung just as Lucia turned to her voice. She barely had time to block the slap to her face. She moved to retaliate but her drawn back fist was grabbed in a bruising grip.

With annoyance she jerked in the steel grip as she was pulled against a chest. A hand grasped her chin as Castiel forced her to look at him. She caught the sadness in his eyes and went limp. He didn't release her though. The eyes he turned to Deborah were cold.

Deborah was frozen, a slight color tinting her cheeks. "Kitten this isn't… what it looks like, I promise. I… l-look at her! She tried to hurt me! She is… she is a-"

"So I'm gullible and stupid huh?" Castiel cut through her fumbling voice. "It wasn't so long ago that Lucia said those same words…. But she had good intentions at least."

"I actually called you a damned idiot." Lucia piped up. She gave him an even stare when he looked at her. "Thought we should be accurate is all." She muttered.

"You… really think we're a school of bumpkins?" Violette asked.

"No I… Violette you know I love you. She was just always trying to make me into a villain and I… it was a joke… kitten, you believe me right?"

Desperately Deborah looked at him. Lucia felt his tightened muscles as he regarded her. There was hurt in his eyes but she thought that only she could see it. It was her after all that had been trained to read emotions and hide her own.

"Kitten…? It was a joke…"

"Save it Deborah. We all heard you." Rosalya said.

Deborah reached out for her one ally she had left which was Melody. Melody stood there silently as all the words were tossed around. Deborah thought maybe the girl would be on her side…. maybe.

But the girl shrank away from her hand. "All this time…" She murmured brokenly.

Deborah realized then there wouldn't be any breaking free from the trap that she'd landed in. Nathaniel was there as well with no warmth in his eyes. He had some sympathy for Melody, who he placed a gentle arm around.

"I can't… you won't believe me?" Deborah asked.

"I think it's time you left Deborah." Nathaniel said calmly.

The girl started crying piteously. This time Lucia knew they were real. She didn't blink when the girl slammed into her rather rudely as she ran away. Lucia was willing to be generous in victory after all.

Castiel gave her a saddened look and vanished as well. Lucia was left to be grabbed in a hug by Rosalya. When the girl was finally released she stepped away to see the others still there, grouped loosely. They all had looks of utter dejection on their faces and regret.

Lucia was proud to say she felt as good as she could with the circumstances. She was angry yes. But more than anything she was unwilling.

"Lucia… I don't know what to say…" Iris said quietly.

Lucia stilled and cocked her head. She kept her face carefully blank as she regarded them all, the slight nervousness clinging to them all.

"Do any of you know where Castiel slunk off to?" She asked.

They all exchanged looks. Lucia was about to leave when she saw something from the corner of her eye. Outside… she had a distinct impression of a familiar shape. It sent a chill through her.

Without thinking she bolted. The shape vanished through the door. She ignored the yells of her name as she slammed it open and took a quick look around. She doubted they'd go into the open which left the gardening club and the gym… he hated flowers.

She pushed open the gym doors and was halted by a chest. "Castiel!"

"Would you go? I just need to be alone."

"Really?" She asked.

"It's what I said isn't it?"

Lucia glanced around, trying to catch a shape in the shadows. Maybe she had been mistaken…

"Now the Castiel I know would be more demanding…" She commented vaguely as she stepped past him.

He merely looked at her in frustration. Lucia wondered why, when she was so against a renewal of friendship with the others and closed, he wasn't someone she wanted to distance from. It would be infinitely safer to do so but… she couldn't pull away.

She smiled vaguely, amused by her own confusion. It seemed Castiel had gotten under her skin deep enough that their fight hadn't been able to expunge him.

When he tried to leave again she halted him again, stepping deliberately in his way. He tried again but she blocked once more laughing a bit. It was an easy game to frustrate him enough, just the right amount. She would break through that damnable shell of his…

It helped that she could read his body language easier now than she ever could before.

She blocked him again and this time she saw the familiar flash in his eyes. She smiled as he reached out grabbing her. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Hmm, dancing?" Lucia grinned.

He pulled her forward and brutally mated their lips together. She felt that familiar rush and wondered how it hadn't at least dimmed in light of everything. But he still had complete control of her when he kissed her. There wasn't any furtive desire to be secretive with him except as a niggling thing easily ignored.

The thrill of her total victory swept through her and it made her more passionate than she normally was. Castiel hardly seemed to object as she tugged gently at his hair and pressed against him. It seemed a very appropriate thing to let him take her forcefully.

She wondered if it would be like the times with Tristian. There had been times on a mission it had been necessary to flirt with people, get them hot and bothered. But only Tristian had ever taken her in any sexual act beyond kissing.

At the thought of Tristian she ran cold. She let go of his neck to instead wrap her arms around his chest. He didn't protest the shift and instead held her tightly. It occurred to her that while she simply wanted to keep the contact going for a selfish need to distance from the past he needed the contact because of the present. So she let him hold her as long as he wanted.

It was a start in any case.

He walked her back to the classroom where she was to serve her detention. Then he vanished and she sat down at a desk, blankly looking out the window. When the other girls came in she gave them a bored look.

"I'm pretty sure only I need to be in detention." She said with vague interest.

"Listen we… thought we'd come here together and apologize as a group." Melody said haltingly.

They were all aware of Lucia's poor control of her temper. Lucia didn't feel like sharing her recovery with them. Plus it was nice knowing they were on edge. It was a nice feeling. Enjoyable.

"Deborah was here before you… and was always so nice…" Kim said.

"I'm really sorry… Lucia…" Violette was perhaps the hardest one to look at so it was her Lucia focused on.

Lucia wondered how to handle this. Her instincts were at war with each other.

"You can go, loves. Your apologies are noted."

"So you forgive us?" Melody asked.

"Oh Lucia!" Violette launched into her. Lucia remained in her position with her head in her hand. There was no softening of her body.

"I didn't say forgiven. Haven't you all ever heard that if apologies worked there'd be no need for hell? Well I don't particularly believe that. I think that apologies can't erase the mistakes you made and we all have to live with them. But what I don't have to live with is making the mistake of adding to the mistake." She sighed as the anger seeped away to be replaced by a calm. "Words don't do anything for wounds. They need to heal in their own time."

"Take as much as you need." Melody said quickly. "Just…"

"We really are sorry Lucia." Iris said mournfully.

"I'm aware." Lucia breathed softly and closed her eyes to end the conversation.

They left her alone after a few moments of silence. The teacher still hadn't shown up. Lucia had plenty of time to debate her next course of action. Deborah was gone so she could devote time to her little equation.

The figure she had seen in the doorway was bugging her. She was aware more than ever she was missing a few pieces of the puzzle.

Her hands were tied in the most logical direction she could take. She could wait for Locke and Raisha to get back from whatever mission they were going out for. There was no guarantee they'd come back. There wasn't any guarantee they'd be honest anyway.

What they had done to her… she brought to mind the small cell they had placed her in after she tried to kill Raisha. There hadn't been any windows, no opening to the outer world. There had barely been room for the bed she was mostly on.

She also remembered the day she was meant to die… she remembered locking eyes with Locke when they injected her with the serum to make her sleep for the lethal dosage. He had been her last sight until she had awoken up with no memories… how had they done that? She could recognize that he had screamed "No!" now as well.

There was no serum on her side that could rip memories, empty out the brain. Lucia supposed that was fair. The Organization wasn't privy to all the various poisons that they had used either. But it was annoying. She kept circling back to that serum they used. If they'd used it on her… could they have used it on others as well…?

What number had she been on their execution list?

With a small expulsion of breath she rose from the chair. The window opened easily and she climbed through. As soon as she dropped to the ground she went to the parking lot. Her course of action seemed fixed despite the deep reluctance.

… It took her three hours to get there. Her eyes were surprisingly dry as she paused in the clearing. She couldn't stop the swallowing and her sudden and deep desire to turn around.

She shook her head to clear it as she looked at the cabin she had once been very happy in. The grass was overgrown and ivy had begun to cling to the structure. The door was still hanging open.

Lucia paused in the doorway. Her throat constricted as she forced herself to take the next step. Terror and hysteria warred in her. It didn't matter how much she told herself she needed to see to understand. She wanted to run. Better yet she wanted to take a match to the place.

But it had been her home… that still held true even now right?

She walked in. She owed it to herself to try and figure it out, to piece the puzzle together.

The same blood was dried in the corner. Nothing had changed, not a damned thing. At the sight of it she froze as the whole horror of it flew back to her.

Her mind went curiously blank as her knees bent to step carefully over the shards of glass. Then she could support her weight no more as her eyes clouded. She buckled to the floor, her hand reaching out to touch. The tears slipped from her eyes. Unlike with Castiel she didn't bother to hold them back.

With this amount of blood it seemed unlikely he was still alive. She had felt his body go cold, had held it until it was.

Still though Locke had made it sound like he might have been. He had said for her to wait when she came to kill them both. She wondered if that had been a ploy to win her over again, to placate her…

She heard the rustle of the grass. Lucia jerked up and flattened against the wall. There were no weapons near her. More to the point there was no easy way to get to the door, no escape route but the door. If whoever it was had a gun she'd be screwed if she didn't get the drop on them.

Carefully she stepped over the shattered glass, staying flat along the wall. When she made it she crouched down slightly. The moment was tense as she waited. Silence now reined and that alone told her there was a person and not an animal in the clearing. Birds would chirp if it were a bestial predator. They only fell silent when people were there.

When the shadow fell into the doorway she moved. She heard a laugh as she struck out. The tussle quickly turned from her favor as the person got a good hold on her. Her Mentor always had said her weakness was physical contact. She did better if she had a gun or weapon, preferably gun.

She was slammed into the wall she had flattened against. The shadows hid the face of her opponent but she registered him as male. She lifted her leg and tripped him. As he jerked back she rammed her elbow in their chest. Unfortunately he had a good grab on her so she went crashing down on top of them.

She tried to jerk away as soon as the contact with the floor jarred her but she was swiftly rolled onto her back. Expertly he captured her hands in one of his and kept her legs from damage with his weight against her. Even her thrashing was kept minimal by his position.

"Are you crying?"

The voice struck her first. The light teasing and the enjoyment in taunting her. Then she registered the hands, they were familiar to her, the weight of the body similar to pasts.

"Humph it took you long enough to make it here. Until you came here I couldn't be sure you remembered anything at all. Stupid."

"Tri… Tristian…"

"Who else did you expect?" he leaned back and the sun was in his face now. She looked her fill of the face she had held so dearly and thought gone.

"Silent hmm? If I had known how to do that back then I think we'd have gotten on quicker." He taunted easily. "I remember you being quiet… vocal… when in this position."

"You..."

"Me." He responded easily.

"How are you still alive?" Lucia asked in a mild panic. Maybe she had cracked and he was a hallucination.

"The same way they did you in I suppose. I don't care for the details. One by one were all regaining our memories though."

"There are others?" She asked swiftly. "Others from Shadow Fang?"

"Mmm. It seems only the Advanced are breaking through the memory blocks. Alexi thinks it's because we have the poisons reproducing in our system."

"Alexi is alive still?" Lucia laughed suddenly. "You're alive!"

"Well a new life hasn't made you any smarter." Tristian smirked.

"And it hasn't made you nicer." Lucia snapped. "Get off of me!"

"I think we've had this argument before we started being naughty."

Lucia hissed in anger. "You were always disgusting."

Before she could try and thrash him off he bent and kissed her. It was achingly familiar and yet… somehow wrong… but right in the same way… she pushed aside her spout of guilt when a redhead crossed her thoughts.

He pulled back and gave her a look. "So? Am I better than that little bad boy you've been flitting around like a heated dog?"

"Oh you jack ass!"

"Stop it Lucia, now." Immediately she went still, on instinct. Her body completely relaxed under his and he gave her an approving smile. "You still listen at any rate.

Not by choice, Lucia thought irritably.

There were various things warring inside her now with his appearance. On one level she hoped she was hallucinating…. And that struck her feel extremely lame. But if he was real, if he was alive… what was she supposed to be feeling?

The idea of him and some others being alive still with memories had circulated through her brain almost immediately. But then it was dismissed initially as false. If Tristian was still alive then Lucia couldn't see a reason for Tata to hide it still…

But here was proof. Even now Tata was lying to her. Lucia felt the familiar tinge of anger circulate through her body, along with confusion that he was actually here, on top of her.

"How are you here?" Lucia ended up asking. Her hand raised on its own to trace the familiar jaw line. "I saw you dead… I saw…"

"I'm aware." Tristian said calmly. "But for now we have to go."

Despite the words he spoke he didn't move off her. She suspected he was feeling how she was feeling. Wondering what they were going to do with the knowledge they had now of living apart, of living new lives. Questioning just what had happened then.

She had loved him so very much. Yet she was aware it was the love one felt for a Master. It wasn't like what she felt for Castiel which had been spontaneous and fiery. What she had with Tristian was dependant and submissive on her part and dominating and cruel on his. She wondered how that would translate with the lives they'd been leading without their memories.

Then a startling thought reached her. "Tristian how long have you known the truth?"

He studied her with thoughtful eyes. His hand reached and he slid a finger under the silver chain that held the sapphire. He lifted it to his gaze and something unreadable crossed his features.

"Exactly I'm not sure. There were always whispers. I saw you a lot. And I saw the blood, I recalled pain beyond endurance. I suppose that even though the circumstances were very different the pain was the same for all of us." He was thoughtful in his response, careful.

She knew that it was just how he was. It wasn't in Tristian to be open about things, it never had been. Like her temper that had been apart of her this whole time.

"How many are there?"

"The ones were aware? Six if you're included. All Advanced, all of the higher level."

He rolled from her and looked out the door, his eyes taking it all in. Lucia had always admired that quality in him. She had instincts she had been taught, a created need to be watchful. But at times she had had to remind herself to focus on her surroundings; she was more willing to trust. Tristian rarely trusted and he never fully relaxed.

"We need to go. This place is disgusting now."

And it would be to him. It was to her as well. This place was where he had been defeated despite his skills. This was the place she had lost her will to live beyond revenge.

Lucia found she didn't need to dig to be aware of him. Her body automatically pushed from the ground, automatically she followed him. She didn't react when he did her desire, pulling a match from his back pocket and tossing it onto the bed.

They stood side by side and watched the cottage be consumed by the hungry flames. Before they would have been close, so very close. Now they were standing apart, Lucia thinking about Castiel. She couldn't begin to guess at what circulated through his complicated brain…

"Things will change after you explain things." It was not a question. Lucia wasn't naive enough to think she could continue this way.

Tristian was aware of the undercurrents as he debated his response. He sighed. In the old days he would have been brutally blunt with her, not caring much if she was okay with his decisions or actions. Especially if it had been a matter of her safety. Even when they'd been fresh and against each other his instinct had been to care for the submissive partner he'd been given.

That brutality seemed wrong in some ways though now, leaving a bad taste in his mouth and making him hesitate uncharacteristically. So he closed his eyes and simply said "yes."

Lucia nodded and accepted it. The same way she had accepted being a killer. The same way she had once accepted she would die once her strength flagged with age.

Castiel groaned when Demon began barking like mad. His eyes opened and he cursed vividly when he read the time on the clock. It was two in the morning. Another knock against the door and another round of Demon whining, barking, and snarling in response.

His feet hit the ground heavily as he stormed to the door, vicious and cruel words on the tip of his tongue at this late night annoyance. He flung the door opened without restraining Demon; half thinking the dog was more than welcome to bite whoever stood at the door.

"Lucia? What the fucking hell?!" He stormed as he recognized her. Without thinking he grabbed her and yanked her inside before slamming the door forcefully.

Demon was now clamoring for her attention and she granted it easily, dropping to her knees to pet him. His stubby tail waved energetically.

Tiredness seeped from Castiel but she looked wide awake if not subdued a little. Her eyes were dulled, a determined set to her lips even as she praised the dog. Castiel crossed his arms but bit his tongue. He would absolutely not give her a tongue lashing again. He had regretted the first one, especially since he knew now it had been totally undeserved. Even if this one was totally justified he would not hurt her again.

"What are you doing here this late?" He demanded.

Lucia rose and looked at him. He didn't recognize the look. "Here to see you."

"As if that wasn't obvious. Why the hell couldn't it have waited until school?!" He snapped. Okay so he couldn't totally control his temper… sue him…

Her eyes lighted with something… regret?... before they went blank. "There are things… I can't explain. They'll hurt for awhile but… it's safer this way." She trailed off and sighed.

Castiel took her in finally, his sleep urge being driven back by curiosity and the knowledge she couldn't be too furious with him. She was here after all.

"Shooter…" he tried the nickname to see if she minded. Lucia twitched and her eyes narrowed but she glanced up from the floor. "What are you talking about?"

Her lips parted and she looked torn horribly. He couldn't know an inner battle waged within her, the need to spill, the need to run.

Finally she simply stepped forward and held her arms open. "Just… please don't push me now… I need… you to trust me this time." The words hurt him.

He couldn't resist the temptation she was though with her arms opened for his embrace and her eyes asking for him. She fit against him comfortably as usual. She smelled odd though. Her scent was like… smoke?

He was about to ask what she had been doing, alarm coursing through him. Had she been in a fire?

Before he could ask she took advantage of his opened mouth to press against him. Her lips were there against his own, moist and warm, her body begging the way she herself never would with words. She tried to deepen it with speed and force but he remained gentle. She succumbed to it for a few moments despite her impatience with it on this night of all nights.

Finally she pulled away enough to huskily murmur in Castiel's ear. "Not gentle. I need rough… just… rough. Hard…" She murmured.

Castiel resisted until he recalled she had said something similar before… of course it was accompanied by the fact he had been thinking of Deborah when he had been unusually gentle with her and guilt made him hesitate even more. What the hell was Lucia after now, after the past week?

"Castiel, _now_." She demanded, punctuating it with a sudden and passionate kiss, scratching lightly on his naked back. Lucia practically purred at the feel of his tight skin.

It was all Castiel needed to snap.

Lucia heard it. Like the rolling call of thunder in the distance, Castiel growled low in his throat. Lucia was spun effortlessly and Castiel backed her swiftly. Her back hit the wall rather harshly and it actually made her wince even as she reveled in her victory over him.

There was no warning whatsoever as Castiel grabbed her hands from around him and slapped them against the wall above her, immobilizing her. He pressed against her and Lucia could feel everything, every inch of him pressed tightly. When he rolled his hips deliberately it was slow and purposeful but violent enough to cause her to go on tiptoe. He repeated the action again and again, loving the small noises coming from her.

They reminded him of… well of a small and fluffy, yappy dog being mistreated or going off on something. The noises were yelps and squeaks and whimpers somehow all rolled into one.

Lucia had from the beginning of this venture known that control would be taken from her. Castiel was possessive and had never shown much submission. It was simply her makeup she supposed that she sought out dominate compliments to her ingrained submission. She didn't feel like complaining though as she quiet enjoyed being submissive a bit too much.

She was especially enamored with submitting to him when he let her hands go to tear at her clothes, tearing at her neck with his teeth and lips. He tore her clothes from her and lifted her easily in his arms, taking her to the familiar bedroom.

Lucia let herself fall listlessly to the bed as she looked up at him, ready to do his bidding. Castiel was breathing raggedly as he looked down at her. It was the first time he saw her completely naked, his eyes passed over the scars and narrowing in anger at whoever had done it to her. Lucia liked pain he knew, this here was more than proof of it but those scars were complete bullshit.

Then he took a note of something else. It was so not like her and he had never not seen it. The heavy sapphire hanging from her neck on a daily basis whether she was asleep, showering, or doing other things was for once not there.

"You aren't wearing it…" he said. The trailing fingers he shifted along her neck and dipped down to the scars were pointers to what he referred.

Lucia lowered her lashes and bit her lip, hesitating. "It didn't seem right for tonight."

Her voice was purposefully dismissive. Even if Castiel didn't understand he had long ago accepted that Lucia was a puzzle. There would always be things she said or did he would not understand.

"Come here." She murmured.

Castiel lowered himself over her and kissed her.

The passion lasted for hours, the red clock numbers said it was past five by the time they were both satiated. He pulled her to him and she went against him easily, her breath as uneven as his. Lucia absently traced the marks she had left on his chest with her raking nails.

"Castiel…?" She murmured his name in a sigh.

He was more than half asleep, his eyes heavy as he tried to fight the sleep. "Hmm?"

"I need to say it. I…"

"What?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Castiel I care a lot about you. More than you can know…. Or even I can know with certainty."

"Shooter what is up?" Castiel yawned. "Great as this is I thought you'd be in more of a punching mood."

"I just wanted you to know it. I'm glad I met you Castiel." I'm glad you gave me this feeling, she added silently.

"Same here Lucia. Go to bed." He said and drifted off himself.

Lucia smiled sadly as she reached up and gave him the softest brush against his lips.

That night Tata came home in a rush. She had gotten the call Lucia had skipped on her detention. Concern was apparent in her face. Lucia might have disliked being told what to do but she actually loved detention. It was a way to sleep with total quiet was what she had told Tata.

Her first notice was the apartment was completely dark and felt… empty…

After turning on the lights she stepped into the hall. Tata knocked on the girls closed door. When silence reined she opened it slowly, half afraid of what she would find.

Her hand searched on the wall for the switch. The light came on and Tata let out a small breath as she took it all in.

The bed, the dresser, the open closet door… it was all like nobody had lived there ever. Like an unused guest bedroom. It bore no acknowledgement at all that a teenage girl had been there for nearly a year.

Tata crossed the floor and sank heavily onto the bed. It still smelled like Lucia somehow despite the thorough cleaning. Her hand smoothed out the pillow that still bore an indentation and she frowned suddenly.

She reached under to pull out a framed picture. Her eyes glistened when she looked at it. There was Lucia, the Lucia who thought of her as an Aunt and not an enemy. Though the girl didn't smile brightly she had a vague one as Tata pulled her close, her own mouth wide in a laugh…

The note that slipped from the frame said only _"I'm sorry, goodbye." _

When the alarm rang for school Castiel again groaned. His arms were empty or else he would have went back to sleep. He instead opened his eyes and took in Demon kneeling at the foot of his bed with a mournful pair of eyes, his ears drooped and his tail oddly still. When he noted his Mater was awake he hunkered down on his stomach and crawled forward, whining in blatant sadness.

Castiel gave him an affectionate stroke before he rose and strode naked through his apartment. Lucia was gone without a trace…

End chapter

* * *

_**Author note**_: And so the end… the final chappie… yes... How pissed would you all get at me if I left it like this?!

Well Lucia has gone away and you all have a choice. It won't affect the story line either way except in vague ways plus setting. I am toying with a year time skip, so they'd all be seniors or a much longer time skip, so the characters would be adults and situated in jobs and… life. If nobody says anything I'll just start typing away and it is whatever I end up clacking away that ends up stone.

Also the erm… scene with Castiel and Lucia… should I change this to a rated M. you think? In my eyes a level M is where its blatantly describing every single move and the terms get tossed about like confetti… as it is I find what I wrote tame compared to the M rated stories I have up and therefore not really harshly demanding this be raised. But I am here for the fans of Awakening so it is up to you.

I hope you all enjoyed this! See you next chappie!


	15. One year apart

_**Author note: **_Ah you guys made me happy, six reviews. They are always nice to see! I decided to do a year time skip. Adult Castiel is something I don't think any of us are ready to see! Also I seem to have made a mistake about Tristian's age. I mentioned early in chapters he was two years older than Lucia but I have him as only one in his profile. So he is in fact nineteen now.

_**Imissthemisery:**_ I agree about the M rating. I've seen some out there that make me think the thing I'm reading belongs in one of those adult magazines. Wouldn't there be? I wonder how everyone would be as adults… herm…

_**IxLOVExALOISxTRANCYx**__**:**_ Well we can't have Castiel getting mad at me can we? I still need to play with him for this story! Thanks for the support with Awakening.

_**Darkangelanddarkstar:**_ Oooh two reviews? Yay! Hmm, that makes sense about affection points. Still it threw me because Nathaniel hated me after all. It made Castiel happy though, of course. Yupp I made a sad chappie. I feel successful now.

_**Angelicgoddessoflight:**_ We can't have anyone crying now can we? I think eventually I will do a fiction with them as adults but… not for now. I just had both going through my head though at once so I figured I'd go with the readers wants! If Castiel had to live without Lucia for years and years… I think when he did meet her again there'd be some breaking dishes going on.

_**Germandelights:**_ Heheh here it is. I was listening to such sad songs when I wrote the last half of the last chapter. I think that worked out good in my favor. I think for now I'll leave it at a T rating… I can always repost it all if it vanishes.

_**Whiteangelorblackdevil:**_ I don't have the parts to be a Daddy. Yupp Tristian was alive and well along with others. Hmm pancakes sound really good right now actually.

_**Disclaimer:**_ Nope. This is getting painful to admit every single chapter.

**UPDATED PROFILE**

_**Name:**_ Lucia Clarington (formerly Akashiya)

_**Age:**_ 17

_**Looks:**_ crimson eyes, she cut her hair short. (Think Kate Beckett's hair style from Castle in silver blue for Lucia's new style)

_**Past:**_ Lucia was raised at an orphanage until the age of five. After her adoption she was inducted into a privately owned group known as the Shadow Fang, a group with ties to the syndicates and also known for its discretion. She was partnered to Tristian Fallows and came to love him with unflinching devotion and was content in her role until an attack drove the pair from their home and they lost contact with their leader. They settled comfortably enough but soon found themselves targeted by the Organization. Lucia blames herself heavily for their defeat and separation since it was she who was taken in by Raisha's kindness.

_**Relationships:**_ _Tata_- She has mixed feelings for the fairy since she had been living as her niece for nearly a year.

_Castiel_- her feeling to him is very deep and yet painful for that reason. She maintains that a Lucia with her memories and problems can not be with someone unrelated to the life she led.

_Tristian-_ Her partner and first lover Tristian remains a heavy presence in her life. She has issues separating her past feelings for the current ones she has towards him.

_Raisha and Locke_- She finds she can think of them without anger but still doesn't understand why they spared her and other Shadow Fangs.

_Rosalya_- Quiet possibly the only female Lucia would call a friend and one of the few she'd aid outside of her own sphere. Rosa and Castiel were the hardest for her to leave behind.

* * *

Chapter start

(One year, three months later)

City life was not so hard to adjust to. Lucia had been partially worried it would be. She had never lived in a city and had always lived separate from society or in small towns. But Tristian had been right about it being easier to blend in the crowd.

The two of them were at a divide in their relationship. They both found it difficult to leave the past between them behind and yet were hesitant to use it to guide them to a better future.

His hesitancy came in the form of a rather curvaceous teenager whom Lucia knew he still kept tabs on despite their vow to leave the lives they'd led without memories behind. Hers came in the form of Castiel.

She wondered how angry he was when she had vanished, or if he even cared. Perhaps if she was lucky he'd chock it up to another one night stand. She decided that would be best even if it hurt her to think of it that way.

A little over a year ago Lucia had regained her memories and been confronted by her past deeds. As if that hadn't been bad enough she then had been assaulted with the knowledge her past was still around in the form of not only her partner but also others.

The thinking was enough to give her a headache.

She shook it away as she stood under the waters spray.

The two of them had been doing surprisingly well living together again despite the changes. Tristian would clean thankfully which was something Lucia avoided doing if she could. It was enough she cooked most of the meals in her mind.

Tristian and the other Advanced boys in the city were more interested in jobs that came their way from their new benefactor. Andrew Jacobs had been one of the scientists from Shadow Fangs medical facility. He had been the one to invent the Advanced serum and monitor its hazardous affects when first introduced into the blood stream.

He had been finding them one by one and placing them in pocket communities all over, hiding them from Mr. Redfield.

In total Lucia figured roughly seventeen Advanced had been recovered out of the forty or so wandering around. The ones not recovered were either dead or still ignorant of their past. One special case was Aria who avoided any and all attempts to be brought in. Lucia wished her enemy luck.

Andrew was only interested in rescuing the Advanced because they were the ones Mr. Redfield was most keen to retrieve. It seemed Lucia's old creator hadn't given up the dream of his little assassination squads but with the Organization running interference and guarding the Advanced that had fallen under their jurisdiction he was running into brick walls.

So he set traps and waited until the memory blocks were erased by the serum reproducing in their veins, then he was there to reintroduce them into the life they'd been trained for. Except now Andrew had joined the cause against him and was doing all in his power to keep the ones who'd awakened away from the bases.

Lucia didn't mind the hiding so much in the long run. At first she had been hesitant to simply abandon the life she had remade. Then Tristian had hinted that he too had been reluctant to leave the life he'd made. Andrew had broken through that reluctance however.

Mr. Redfield had more than enough power to make life difficult for the few people they had all grown close to when they'd been dormant. To save the people they cared for was why they all, Lucia included, were willing to be on the run again.

Lucia would absolutely despise herself if her refusing to do a thing that suited her resulted in the death of Castiel or Rosalya. Hell she'd even feel a little bad if Amber was killed.

Lucia smirked at the thought. The last one might have been a stretch.

But it served to return her mind to the task at hand. She twisted a rather ugly wig into place and grimaced at the color. They said blondes had more fun but Lucia hated the color. Especially since the wig had pink highlights shot through it to be "stylish." Tristian really had no idea what the word meant.

She inserted the blue contacts and sighed. Yes, for them she was willing to hide. She was even willing to kill when the need arose.

Tata didn't feel any surprise when Locke told her they had missed Lucia again by mere inches. She really was too good at hiding herself and as long as Tristian stood with her they were able to wriggle out of most traps before they were sprung.

Raisha and Locke were working tirelessly to bring in the Advanced that had gone into hiding. The Organization was in such an uproar that Tata herself had come out of her retirement to chase her "niece."

Locke was again pouring over the files he had gathered on Lucia and deleting another dead end alias she had been using for a month. Lucia had apparently gotten wise they were tracking her through it and had dropped the ID into a garbage can they recovered an hour later.

"Well this is a mess." Raisha said and dropped onto her desk, pushing the folder she had been working on off of the edge. Raisha was working on Tristian's folder. Like Lucia's it was near empty.

"Why couldn't she be connected to Aria? We know where she is!" Raisha went on in a complaining voice.

Tata was leaning against the wall. If Lucia were to see her now she wondered if the girl would recognize her. She had dropped her life of whimsical cosplay and was instead wearing a white business suit that hid her gun and daggers.

Tata hadn't dressed so formally since before her retirement two years ago. It had been for Lucia the adult had gone into early retirement, to be a good and solid presence in her life. And Tata had enjoyed it, being a family unit with someone else. Tata's own husband had been killed by a member of Shadow Fang years and years ago and children had been a firm impossibility for the fairy woman.

"We've been over this. She partnered with Tristian because she isn't a lesbian. Aria is which is why a partnership between them would have failed miserably." Tata spoke with the air of one repeating something she was sick of.

Raisha snorted. "I know that. But still it would be convenient."

"With our track record on this I've no idea how you could expect anything convenient out of this." Locke said dryly as he discarded another file.

"Because were do for some." Raisha returned with a grimace.

The three of them returned to their silence. It was so quiet one could hear a small needle drop on the ground. Tata could practically hear the others breathing in the small office and it was beginning to grate on her normally sugary nerves.

All she wanted was to find Lucia and bring her home safely. The chance to explain everything to the girl would have to wait until after her safety was brought back to near perfect. If that bastard managed to sink his old claws back into them, if he turned Lucia into a killer again… oh Tata could dream up a million horrid little demonic things to do to Mr. Redfield…

"Castiel wait up!"

The redhead paused and turned with some unwillingness. Rosalya and Lysander and that shy girl… Violette, were a few feet from him, the silver haired girl gaining ground rapidly as usual. Rosalya had lost the meaning of the word "walk." If he caught her walking he thought it must mean the world was ending.

Then again that hadn't happened a year ago so what would make it end, he wondered. When he recognized the track his thoughts had taken he shook it away, bringing forth his usual weapons of anger and not caring. Castiel waited calmly with his usual expression of indifference, arms crossed in his usual pose.

"Hey were all going to go to the mall." Rosalya beamed. "Come with us."

Castiel sighed and gazed at her. "No."

Her eyes darkened as they usually did when her will was immediately thwarted. "Come."

"No." Castiel returned.

"I said come so come." Rosalya said with a smile.

Castiel smirked at her logic. "And who made me your bitch?"

"Must you two do this every time we discuss plans?" Lysander and Violette had made it to them. The Victorian male looked slightly weary at their playful bantering but his eyes had a glimmer of faint amusement.

"It isn't my fault." Castiel protested with a grin. "She just has no brain. I'm being a good citizen, really, to tell her these things."

"Hey!" Rosalya snapped. She made a lunge for him but he sidestepped easily.

Lysander watched the two hurl insults at each other for a few moments. Then Violette drew his attention.

"If we want to avoid traffic we should… leave soon…" She murmured.

Lysander knew she was right. His friends showed no signs of stopping their little mock fight anytime soon however. What to do…

Finally Lysander stepped from his position beside Violette. He moved between Castiel and Rosalya who automatically drew up. The expressions on their faces told him they knew their play was over. Lysander wondered when he had become the designated "daddy" of their group.

An image of the two in diapers, following him around and needing changes briefly circled in his mind. With a hidden grimace he shook it off and addressed Castiel. "You should come. It could be good for you."

Translation: Were worried for you, it's time to move on.

Castiel knew he had in a small way stopped when he had realized Lucia was gone from the town. Even after he had woken without her was the small thought she was simply embarrassed over the night they'd spent together or she'd had to go home. When school passed he wondered if maybe she had gotten sick.

The days had passed without word or move from her. Eventually her absences had been noticed by Nathaniel and definitely by Rosalya. Everyone had expected her to be distant from them, sure, but not to come to school or be around town was another thing entirely.

Castiel had simply thought Lucia was avoiding him until people started approaching him about if he had seen her. It wasn't until then he got a bad feeling, a deep beast had awakened in his gut and told him that something was _wrong._

A group of them had gone to her apartment. Her Aunt had opened the door but something had seemed off about her. It had taken Castiel a moment to realize she wasn't in a costume. She wore a normal lilac color suit.

"Oh… you all…" Her voice had been subdued, the smile forced before it wilted completely. "I suppose you're here for Lucia… I was about to go to the police…" She seemed distracted.

"Why haven't you gone before now?" Rosalya had snapped.

When Tata only looked at her blankly as though she was seeing beyond her Nathaniel stepped up. "How long has she been gone?"

"… A few days… I thought… hoped… she was just rebelling. She would vanish sometimes you see, I never really knew where she was at night… but her things are gone and she hasn't called…"

Search teams had been employed. For a week every day they all searched the woods and surrounding areas. Each day hope faded. They had found a burned up cottage that had been combed over. Tata wouldn't even go near the wreckage though tears did spring in her eyes before she turned away, knowledge passing her features.

On the very last day Lysander had discovered something. It had barely missed being tossed into the hungrily churning river below the small cliff but the bag had been caught by a tree that was growing on the small bank next to the river. It had been Castiel who slipped down the cliff side despite the numerous protests from the others about safety.

Lysander had gone with him out of concern. The two had only gone down a few feet when Lysander had halted him. Castiel followed his friend's eyes. In a small cluster of bracken and mud covered rock was a tangle of silver blue. Castiel had felt numb as his hand reached for it.

He lifted the strands of hair and immediately recognized them. His body flattened to the steep cliff he had relied on his balance as he separated them from the mud. Lysander left his friend and continued on his way to collect the bag.

Castiel had no idea how long he stared at those few strands of hair with his hope for the best being drained away by the fear for the worst.

After that day the rescue team was changed into a recovery team. It was concluded the girl had been foolishly hiking and lost her balance. Castiel hadn't gone on the recovery teams, his mind conjuring images of her alive and vibrant, warm and soft. He couldn't reconcile her to being stiff and cold, dead.

A funeral had been held of course even though no body or any other piece of her was found. Castiel had registered Tata vaguely. There was just something off about her. Though she grieved there was a falsehood about it. It wasn't the mourning of one who lost someone to death it was a different kind fueled with determination as well. To this day it bothered Castiel and Rosalya, both of them finding loopholes to Lucia's death and how easily it was tied up. Nothing could seem to shake the basic fact though. Lucia was dead.

"Castiel?"

Castiel focused again. After a moment he shrugged. "Yeah, whatever. Just as long as it isn't annoying."

The drive up to the city wasn't quiet. Castiel and Rosalya were back to being like taunting siblings and Lysander was trying to draw Violette from her shell.

The four of them had become a kind of unit. Castiel, Rosalya, and Lysander had always been close but Castiel's dealings with Violette hadn't started happening with consistency until Lucia had brought her into the fold and now she was dating Lysander. She had opened up to Rosalya and Castiel more though.

"Alright what's the plan here?" Castiel asked as Lysander finally managed to find a parking place among the many other cars in the shopping district.

"We hadn't thought of it. I thought we'd just wander around and explore. It's been so long!" Rosalya said.

"Leave it to you to not have a plan, Brainless." Castiel chuckled.

"I'm going to get you." Rosalya said with a dangerous smile. "I know where you live."

Castiel cocked a brow and gave her a wolfish grin. "If you're scared of the dark Rosa you're welcome to sleep with me."

"Um… there's this new art store I heard about… it's supposed to have really good supplies." Violette said with a small blush.

"Shall we go?" Lysander looked at them.

Rosalya agreed enthusiastically and Castiel shrugged.

They wandered for a few hours and made periodic stops to the car to stash their purchases. Hunger gnawed at them all so they went to eat. It wasn't until roughly five or six that something noteworthy happened.

"Excuse me."

Rosalya turned and immediately jumped aside for a young girl. She was dressed in a beige thin sweater and shorts. Castiel took note of the slender form as she walked past Rosalya without looking at them as she read a text message, his eyebrows cocked at the tight ringlet curls streaked with pink highlights.

Rosalya however looked as if the girl had smacked her with freezing water. She lunged past Castiel and Lysander and hurried to get in front of the girl.

"Rosalya?" Lysander asked curiously but she ignored him.

"What are you doing?" The girl asked with irritation as she finally looked up at Rosalya. She froze for a second with her cell limp in her hands before the fingers tightened around the plastic.

"Would you move please? I'm in a hurry." She muttered.

Castiel and the others moved to stand with Rosalya as the silver haired girl wouldn't let go of the stranger.

"What are you doing Rosa?" Castiel asked with a smirk. "What, have you been struck by love at first sight?" He laughed a bit.

"No." Rosalya waved him off like an irksome fly. "Her voice before… when she passed us…"

"Rosalya you can't just restrain people…" Lysander said but he too was now studying the girl who was keeping her face bored and exasperated.

"Get your hands off please. I'm late."

Rosalya narrowed her eyes and instead stepped closer but the girl stepped back like she knew the movement.

Castiel was getting suspicious too. There was a feeling like he knew this girl though he couldn't place her. The distinctive and rather girlish style would have been memory burning as well. They must all have been thinking the same thing, having that same sense of déjà vu, because they all stared at her. It was surprisingly Violette who spoke up first.

"Um, uh… do… do we know you? You seem… familiar…" Violette ventured softly.

Lucia flickered her gaze to Violette and made sure she was being blank with no body signals beyond annoyance. What a bad and stupid thing this was! Of all the people to run in to, the people she had wanted to never run into again. She had told Tristian the city was too close to the town they lived in but Andrew had assured them both it would be fine.

For a year it had been. Now this was happening right when she let her guard down just a tiny bit.

It's okay, she told herself. Just make it through this and the chances of seeing them again are slim to nil.

She injected as much city accent as she could into her voice. "Look here honey I haven't got no clue who you are and I don't want to. What I want is to go to work." Lucia was proud. She sounded city all right.

Deliberately she side stepped them and walked swiftly away.

The four stared after her fastly fading figure being swallowed by the crowd.

Then Violette said something. "She sounded like Lucia…"

Then it clicked for Castiel. Lysander and he exchanged looks as the same feeling passed through them again.

"Wait here." Lysander took the time to say to Violette who nodded with her eyes wide with shock, disbelief and also hope.

Castiel had already begun running with Rosalya at his heels. With his crazy long legs it took Lysander no time to catch up. The people blurred as they shoved through them, trying to locate the rather hideous hair style. It hadn't been bad before but now that he suspected it might be Lucia with that hair…

It took them three streets and even some backtracking. Then they caught their lucky break. There across the street looking weary and tense and standing in a familiar pose with one hand on her cocked hip while her heeled boot tapped impatiently was the girl… Lucia.

Castiel prepared to walk over there calmly and detain her but Rosalya had no tact apparently. He could have murdered her when she screamed "WIFEY!"

Lucia froze, her eyes snapping up to locate the familiar call. Castiel was already running across traffic for her when she passed over Rosalya who looked thunder struck that Lucia had looked up with recognition and also acceptance of that being a term she answered to.

She didn't stick around to let that sink in. her legs automatically struck away from Castiel. She took dips and turns down side alleys and slipped easily between the throng of people intentionally. She knew with his buffer form and less knowledge of maneuvering in such a huge crowd he would be slowed by that. But every time she slowed slightly to see where he was he was there somehow not far from her heels.

With a curse she dipped into another alley and debated pulling off the wig he was obviously using to track her. Then she realized then he'd use her natural hair to do it and then it would be easier.

"Fuck my life!" She snapped as she jumped as high as she could onto a chain link fence. She climbed over it and jumped lightly down from the top. She ran ahead, hearing his grunt as he too encountered the fence.

Her thoughts were focused on escape. There wasn't any way in hell she was letting the last year, all the bloody work she had done to keep them all safe go to hell because of Rosalya's and his damned stubbornness.

Then she came face to face with the dead end. She had managed through sheer stupidity to fall prey to the cities maze like structure, trapped herself behind an apartment building that was wrapped around so the back of it had no exit or legal entrance into it. She prepared to retreat until she heard his footsteps and knew she hadn't the time to run off down another direction. Trying to dodge past him would be far too reckless.

Lucia had seen the anger in his eyes…

She spun without knowing what to do until she heard a voice from above. Literally.

"You always do get into the worse jams." Tristian sighed from his position on the roof.

"Shut up and help me." Lucia snapped.

"You've had the same training I have." He said with zero sympathy. "Use your skills."

Lucia growled as she looked around. Then she realized what he meant. With annoyance she went up to the first building at a run and leaped. Her hands grasped onto the thin concrete slap sticking out for the window sill and used it to pull herself up. When she could stand she went across to the other apartment. She had mere seconds.

With the thought spurring her she let herself hang from the next sill she'd grasped onto and leaped to the fourth floor. Tristian watched her swift progress without the same approval he'd once have had. He had become rather indifferent to her triumphs seeing as at this point they were simple skills in both their minds.

It was then she made a mistake. He saw it a moment before she did and he jerked up to try and warn her off of instinct. But it was far too late. She leaped and pushed off from the wall she landed on and bounced back and fourth. On the very top was a small outcrop she could sit and hide from Castiel on but she misjudged the distance.

"Luce hang-"Tristian started but he broke off with a curse. Lucia landed to close and barely grabbed the ledge outcrop. As she pulled herself up she cursed at the searing sensation along her scalp as she brushed the metal vent there and her wig was wrenched from her. She watched it flutter helplessly to the ground and cussed.

"Leave it." Tristian hissed in a whisper as Castiel appeared around the corner. Lucia quickly decked into her shadowed niche, watching cautiously.

Castiel looked around him. It was a fucking dead end. He glanced around again to see if there were any shadowed corners she could have ducked into but all he saw was the sun lighting every inch of the closed off space.

His eyes fixed on the wig just as Lysander and Rosalya burst around the corner.

"D-did you… get her?!" Rosalya panted breathlessly as she put her hands on her knees.

"No…" Castiel muttered as he bent to pick up the blond and pink highlighted wig.

"Are you sure she came this way?" Lysander asked, his voice only slightly uneven.

Wordlessly Castiel turned and showed them the wig. Rosalya came and snapped it from him, her hands turning it over. She pulled out short silver blue hairs from the inside stitching.

"That is more proof then we had at least…" Lysander commented when she showed them.

The hair wasn't as long as it had been, Castiel guessed it would be brushing her shoulders now but the color… was hers, definitely hers.

"Lucia is alive." He said it out loud to test it, the knowledge settling in his stomach.

"Alive…" Rosalya echoed in awe. "Lucia?" She raised her eyes and called out. "Wifey are you there?"

"She obviously is hiding for a reason… she won't just come out." Lysander said wisely.

"… let's go…" Castiel didn't protest when Rosalya grabbed him and began tugging him from the alley. His hard eyes scanned around, looking up. He saw the shadowed ledge and he wanted to go up there and explore. But it was near the top and more than that no way in hell he could scale the walls.

So he let himself be pulled away despite his gut feeling she was still near…

Lucia was rather glad she couldn't hear what they'd said as she hid like a coward. She told herself that she was a killer, or had been. Her place was in these shadows keeping them safe.

Tristian had her wait ten minutes before he told her to join him. With an ease not present before she scaled the remaining few feet and he pulled her next to him, an arm draped across her shoulders. She leaned into him from a combination of instinct and need.

"You alright?" Tristian asked.

"How would you feel if you ran into that Barbie you loved when we were apart?" Lucia muttered. Her heart never had healed over from the wounds she'd inflicted on it willingly, they still festered. They were again being torn open, the scabs being shoved aside by the gushing misery that froze her breath and watered her eyes. All she wanted was to run and fling herself into Castiel's arms. She was to the point she believed she would never feel better when it had to do with Castiel.

"Bad but I'd survive. You will too." He answered her honestly. "We have each other and we have our abilities. We may not be what we were but…"

"Were still fit as partners." Lucia said with a small smile.

"Yeah…"

"I wonder if we'll ever be what we were… connected wise, not the killing." She added hastily.

Tristian shrugged. "What we had in a relationship form before can't work with the new lives we've had tastes of. But in future who knows? I still say I'm a better kisser than little bad boy."

Lucia rolled her eyes and playfully smacked him. "And I say I have a way better ass than that Barbie of yours." She retorted playfully.

Tristian sighed and made a show of looking back at her behind. "It is rather there."

Lucia dropped her mouth open at his phrasing. "Are you saying I have a fat ass?"  
"Are you agreeing?" He taunted.

"Oh you little jerk!' Lucia snapped and attacked him.

Tristian dodged her easily and the two tussled good naturedly. After awhile Tristian let her pin him to the ground and she smiled. He always was good at forcing her from her depressed thoughts.

"Pinned ya again." She said.

Tristian cocked a brow. "A Lion King reference Luce? Really?"

"Who knew you watched Disney movies. Something you need to tell me about your kiddy side?" She taunted.

"It was a story about a kick ass lion. Besides all the singing they did it was a damned good movie." Tristian said with the air of suffering for her ignorance. Then he flipped her. Lucia laughed as the breath was knocked from her.

"It's getting late Lucia." Tristian said and closed his eyes. Lucia had seen the glimmer of lust in them however and she was aware of her own, an echo from the past on both their parts. This was a familiar position from then and it had always led to her submission and his conquering.

But whenever he seemed to be about to act on it, to reopen a physical relationship between them Tristian would be halted by his own new love with Barbie and she would be smashed under images of Castiel…

"Let's go home." Lucia agreed with him and he helped her up.

Lucia tried not to think of the results that might have happened thanks to today. Would Castiel and the others still be safe now? Or had her identity been blown and was Mr. Redfield aware that now they had intimate knowledge of her whereabouts?

It made her stomach churn.

I don't care what Andrew says, Lucia thought to herself with determination. We need to move, now.

End chapter

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Author note: Yeah, this was an introduction chappie to part two and so was more filler than anything. The serious stuffs starts next round. So leave some reviews. Feed back is nutrients to a story. Until next time!


	16. Kentin's knowledge

Author note: Ah, another chappie. I'm glad this had made it this far. I hope you all continue to enjoy my brains odd jumbles.

_**darkangelandarkstar:**_ That actually makes me happy to read. And that sounds odd coming from the person who made it happen! I want everyone to be aware that, no matter the reasons for her actions, things Lucia does are wrong. We may understand them or not but they are still something that has consequences.

_**Germandelights:**_ I hope you are just as happy with this chappie! This one may be a tad confusing. I used more dialogue than I normally do and I used a character I've been avoiding having much run time with. Hope it worked out!

_**Nattyfan:**_ Thank you! I hope you liked the rest of it just as much.

_**Disclaimer:**_ The more chapters in I get the more I think…. If I owned the game Castiel and Lysander would be a total thing. Call it twisted fantasy for my amusement.

_**Chapter start**_

* * *

"And yet we're not moving from the city anytime soon." Lucia sighed as she idly stirred a pot of stew.

The smells of cooking permeated the kitchen around her. Ciera was busy chopping up vegetables for the salad. Her fingers handled the knife with a dexterity even a professional chef would envy. The moon haired girl made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat, used to Lucia's exasperation with the boys' stubbornness.

Beyond the sound of the knife there was the sound of grunts and rather loud death cries mixed in with the Advanced boys groans and jabs at each other. The noise all rose to create a cacophony of sound Lucia would fear might draw the police if they had neighbors to be annoyed. Luckily they didn't.

Tristian and the others weren't hurting each other. Or to be clear they were but through video games. Yes, of all people Tristian was a complete and utter game nerd. And so were Stanton and Royce which led to these little get-togethers. Only Alexi was indifferent to the call of the controller and even he couldn't escape being dragged into playing by Royce.

Lucia watched them from her perch on the counter beside the oven. Those two were the oddest thing she had seen in awhile. They were both Advanced and therefore on par with each others strengths and talents but Alexi was what would have been called scholarly while Royce was a trickster to the bone.

Couples like them happened sometimes in the confines of Shadow Fang, where the partnerships had been determined by other things besides the twos personal likes and comforts. But Royce and Alexi were _**NOT**_ partners. They had been partnered to other people before their lives had been stripped from them.

The fact they were now for all intents and purposes together was a foreign concept to the other four Advanced minds, which were again held captive by their need to be loyal only to their partner. Lucia couldn't fathom how they had overcome that inbred need to be separate from others. More to the point they had totally and completely broken away from that mind of belonging to only that one person in order to begin on a completely new path.

Lucia could admit she felt a deep and more than demanding pull to Castiel and Tristian was in love with that girl, whoever she was. But they couldn't escape each other. There were too many ties that kept them strung together. Lucia Clarington had been conditioned since age five to belong to one person, to become a submissive to that person and had bonded fully with Tristian Fallows out of duty and need.

Lucia Akashiya had been free of those bonds by her memory loss. She had learned to be independent completely and totally, had lived normal. She hadn't been tied to needing to make one person other than herself happy. She had for the first time chosen to fall in love rather than it being a forced and dependant love forced on her by others.

Now she was Lucia Clarington again only there was that presence of Akashiya, reminding her she was her own person and not a doll to be emotionless until Tristian bade. Yet the Clarington in her longed to either return to that naïve following or to move forward with him. The only thing the two different sects of memory agreed on was she couldn't have Castiel.

It had never been claimed by anyone to be an easy thing, living with the past. Moving forward was especially hard for the cursed Advanced children who had been fated to suffer this irritating and consuming confusion and sense of loss.

"It is a strange thing." Ciera remarked. She too had been staring at Royce who had dragged Alexi onto his lap. "One wonders how they did it."

Ciera and Stanton were a completely different story than Lucia and Tristian, a whole new tragedy to their saga. Stanton had given his heart to another as well during that year of blankness. Yet it hardly seemed to bother Ciera on the surface, who was in fact the dominate partner in their partnership. What was a big issue between them were Stanton's own confusion and also the fact that she had not given her heart away. She had instead held aloft. But when she regained those damnable memories and re-met Stanton, felt the pull to the past, she had rebelled and taken numerous lovers in an endless journey to deny the connection between them. It had fractured more than either would admit.

"I suppose they're just lucky that way." Lucia said.

"Luck has little to do with us, lovling." Ciera said with a small smile of mocking humor.

It was a few minutes later Royce came in pouting. Lucia and Ciera exchanged looks as he got a beer from the fridge. "Someone needs to make a run." He said as he popped the top.

"Aw what's got you so down in the dumps pudding pop?" Ciera asked with a grin.

"Alexi is being unreasonable." He stated loud enough to be heard over the game.

Alexi turned in his seat and cocked a brow at him. It took less than a minute before Royce was turning away with the pout becoming more pronounced and Alexi was claimed by Stanton.

"That sentence tells us jack." Lucia commented as she turned the burner off.

"Well you see I got us a pet. I figured it would be cute and endearing. Or at least this one magazine said that girls love pets."

"Alexi isn't a girl…" Ciera pointed out.

Royce waved a dismissive hand as he took a swig from his can. "He is in our relationship." He didn't have time to say anything else before a controller bounced off his head. He yelped a but before turning to face Alexi who glared back in justified annoyance.

"Rude! I was talking to the girls here." Royce said.

"And I'm supposed to be the girl?" Alexi said at the simpering tone of wounded feelings Royce had used.

"Well in bed what we do woul-"

"Dude… no details." Tristian spoke up as he paused the game.

"Humph… well anyway I brought home a pet-"

"You brought home a monster." Alexi interrupted.

"Cuddles isn't a monster!" Royce retorted with a whine.

"Cuddles…?" Stanton snorted.

"Cuddles the what Royce? Go ahead, tell them what Cuddles is." Alexi dared with a raised brow.

Royce looked positively mutinous as he huffed in indignation. Then he rolled his eyes and snapped "Cuddles the tarantula, okay?"

"You named a tarantula Cuddles?" Lucia asked.

"Oh goodness…" Ciera remarked with a shake of her head. "Salads done."

"The stew is too…" Lucia said as she hopped to the floor.

"-And to think he gave me an ultimatum! Either Cuddles goes or he goes. This wouldn't have happened if he let me keep the daddy long legs I found on our ceiling." Royce had kept going.

Lucia and Ciera exchanged looks as he seemed fairly upset about it. Only Royce could be capable of being upset over a hairy spider.

"So what're you going to do?" Lucia resisted a laugh. "Even with that name I doubt Cuddles is as… cuddly as Alexi."

Ciera smothered her laugh when the other boy gave Lucia a glare as well.

Royce sighed. It wasn't a small one either. It was a sigh of someone who was suffering for a long time. "What else can I do? If the honey doesn't like the Cuddles I'll find a new home for him."

Alexi sighed when Royce wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. "Why do I put up with you?"

"My abs." Royce said promptly.

While they ate Castiel was doing some digging with Rosalya. And their digging had totally dead ended. So they were now standing outside Lucia's aunt's apartment door banging on it.

When Tata finally opened it she barely dodged the pounding fist as it made a motion to bang on her door again. Rosalya looked surprised and immediately put her hands down.

Tata surveyed them with some surprise. "What on earth are you two doing here?"

"We want to know the truth." Rosalya said primly.

The adult looked purely bemused by the response. "About what?"

Tata racked her brain for something these kids could want from her. She watched as Castiel slung a backpack from his shoulder. He rustled through it until he finally drew out a wig. He showed it to her, glaring.

"Um… well I don't really know… I don't really know how to make you a drag queen, honey but I can tell you this isn't your color or style." Tata took a stab at the humor rode. She was late and in a hurry.

Locke had called her to his office and said it was important. Castiel looked pissed at her guess but she could hardly be bothered with it now.

"No it isn't." Rosalya agreed when Castiel looked ready to blow up. "Nor is it Lucia's."

The name froze Tata and got her attention completely. She hid her surprise through a wall of motherly concern. It was a part she had played well over the years.

"No, I can't imagine she would have worn something like this." Tata smiled sadly, using the perfected gaze of one who was still in mourning over someone.

Castiel recognized the look. It had bothered him at Lucia's funeral and it bothered him now. Only now he knew the reason behind his distrust of her sorrow. It was artificial. He would bet his guitar that this woman had known all along Lucia was alive and well.

Castiel was not a trusting man and he sure as hell wasn't a particularly forgiving one. He could understand things up to a point but it didn't mean he accepted them for a second. It was to the point he was ready to beat the answers from this woman who had let Lucia go and vanish, who had known all along the truth but let them all suffer with that darkness of her death.

"Alright just cut the crap!" Castiel snapped angrily. "We know she's alive!"

Tata sharpened her gaze on him. She made her reply sound dismissive and angry as well. "I won't ask what you mean. Luca is dead." She stepped closer to him. "And how dare you try and give me false hope like that? I hardly need it!"

"You put on such a good act I'd almost believe you." Castiel snapped.

Tata waved a hand around. She just needed him to drop something, either the act or where he had seen Lucia. "Lucia was my family. It kills me to think she is dead but I have no evidence of anything different!" Tata snapped angrily. Then she changed her voice back to its mothering and gently enveloped voice. "She fell, kids. I know it hurts you. It will always hurt me too. But we all have to accept the fact the Lucia we knew is gone now." Tata was aware of the hidden truth to the sentence.

"But she isn't!" Rosalya interjected. "We saw her alive! We even got that wig from her when she ran from us."

Castiel looked slightly annoyed Rosalya had dropped any information with the adult but he shrugged it away when Tata sighed. "Why not tell me the story then?" The fairy said with the air of one unwilling to be cruel.

It took less than three minutes with Rosalya running the story. After she was done Tata could say with vague certainty it really had been Lucia. No normal person they might have chased would have been capable physically or mentally to get out of that alley.

One of the few things the Organization and Shadow Fang shared was the training regiments. They both exercised the training of parkour, the ability to force your body to do extreme stunts and moves with the complete fearlessness of the mind on your side. Only someone who had studied it would have been able to scale the walls fast enough to escape pursuit.

Tata quickly shook the kids after that. She left them by her door and told them to help themselves to food and drink in the fridge so long as they locked up afterwards.

Castiel barely restrained slamming his fist through the plaster. He should have known going to Tata would be a failed venture. But Rosalya still believed that maybe the fairy lady had been ignorant of Lucia's fleeing. This should have proven that Castiel had good instincts at the very least.

"Well? Should we search her apartment for something?" Rosalya suggested.

Castiel considered it for a minute. He had a feeling that the fairy wasn't as ditzy as she appeared. He doubted there was much to be found in the apartment. There certainly wouldn't be traces of Lucia for him to gather.

"No…" He decided. "You can handle that. I'm going to go to the city. Maybe I can find her and just put an end to this whole dammed mess."

Rosalya agreed and dipped into the apartment. Castiel left the girl and climbed onto his motorcycle.

On the way he had plenty of time to finally just think. The only issue was he couldn't think beyond just finding Lucia and getting answers. Then his feelings, which admittedly led him more than his thinking ever did, were torn. He wanted to throttle the girl and possibly put her in a grave, but not before he held her and affirmed to all his senses she was alive and well.

More than any of that though he wanted to know what had been so important she had lied to them all. What could have gone so wrong that she fled despite the things she had shown him?

It irked him to no end that even after discovering the lie there was a resurfacing of his need to have her. Before had been the impossibility of it because she was dead, leaving emptiness in him for what might have been. But she never had been dead. Castiel wanted to be hard against her especially now.

Granted they hadn't been a couple and she had owed him no loyalty in that regard… but they had been something! They had at the least been friends. Friends that had stood directly on the edge of more. He thought they had crossed it after that night… he had been very wrong apparently.

Castiel realized now that she had seemed different that last night though. She had been more demanding and less naïve about things. He had been happy to finally mark a claim on her at the very least… he couldn't help the kernel of resentment bubbling within him now. It had always been there, resentment she had died. Now it was burning again with her lie.

He made it to the city faster than he thought he would. Castiel realized then he hadn't thought this through. The city was big and he had absolutely nothing to go on. It had been pure luck to run into her before. Lucky on his part at least. Lucia was probably cursing and having a meltdown. A smirk formed but it didn't reach his eyes like usual.

He wasn't sure what to do if she had fled the city altogether.

He began aimlessly wandering. His feet carried him to the same place he had been so close to her again. The walls were just as high and flat as they had been before. Castiel could still see no way for her to have gotten away. His lack of knowledge taunted him.

A part of him was tempted to just forget it. It wasn't like she wanted to be found. If anything she had betrayed him. It was different then with Deborah, freshly festering now that he discovered she was still breathing air into her lungs. It wasn't the same circumstances but he couldn't help putting them side by side now in his mind. Both had enticed him and then burned him horribly. Castiel was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with him that he always fell for the girls fated to stab him in some way.

"I'll probably end up hurting her if I found her now." He muttered as he felt his rage bubbling up.

"As if you could."

Castiel spun at the unfamiliar voice. There was a girl roughly his age there. She was standing with her hands at her side and doing nothing particularly threatening but he was still wary. There was something about her.

It was in some vague way similar to how he had sometimes seen Lucia. Lucia could look harmless but when she focused like this girl was a tangible energy wrapped around them. He thought he'd never feel that again. It was as though warning signs were screaming through the air. This girl was dangerous.

"What do you think your doing?" He demanded, crossing his arms. "Get the fuck out of here."

She smirked and flicked sapphire hair over her shoulder as she took a step forward. "I told her. I told Lucia I'd rip her apart emotionally and physically."

Castiel felt like he had been slapped. This girl knew Lucia?!

"Who the hell are you?!"

Another smile pulled at the lips but the eyes remained cold. It was then a shiver ran through Castiel. The eyes… were Lucia's eyes! Crimson depths regarded him with no emotion. They weren't normal eyes…

Something had to be going on here that he didn't know about. It was one thing for one person, Lucia, to have maybe an odd genetic mutation that gave her odd hair and eyes. It was another thing for there to be ANOTHER person with those same bloody eyes. Her hair was probably natural as well…

"Call me a ghost from her past." The smile was amused.

He felt something drop behind him. He spun again instinctively. He gained an impression of another girl with short brown hair and a boyish build before he felt something heavy and hard crash into the side of his head.

Castiel grunted as he struggled to remain on his feet. His vision split even as black telltale dots swam lazily before him. The pain throbbed insistently. Another blow came and he dropped to his knees as it made him retch. With nothing to grab onto in order for him to remain up he found the ground rising to meet him. He barely turned in time to avoid breaking his nose on the uncompromising concrete.

His vision swam more as he struggled to focus, to get up, and to defend himself.

"You can thank Lucia for this."

His last though before darkness overcame him was that same silver haired girl…

Rosalya was surprised she hadn't thought of it before. Kentin's Father was in the military! If anyone could find anything about Lucia it would be him. The boy had shown some surprise to have her at his doorstep.

He had let her in though after Rosalya had brought up Lucia. Rosalya knew that the boy was still half in love with her even if it had dimmed by what had been an obvious attraction between Lucia and Castiel and time.

Kentin saw to it that Rosalya was sitting down comfortably with her own plate of chocolate cookies and even some milk. Rosalya couldn't help but giggle a bit. Some things would never change, she thought. It was a warm and comforting thought.

Kentin listened to her intently as she talked. His eyes flickered here and there as if he was digesting something but then they would return to their study. There hadn't been anything in Tata's apartment. Rosalya explained about that too since it was all part of the story.

At the end of it Kentin sat against the couch and leaned into the cushion with his leg pushing the coffee table. A half eaten cookie was being suspended in the air casually as though he had forgotten about it. Rosalya was amused even as she took note of the thoughtful expression on his face, the eyes narrowed and the mouth straight and uncompromising.

She had a sudden and startling thought. Damn! Kentin had gotten hot!

Finally though his unnatural silence got the better of her. "Kentin what is it? I just said Lucia is alive!"

Kentin sighed as he blinked finally. "I know."

Rosalya showed some frustration. Of all people she had expected him to react more enthusiastically. A part of her had imagined him being like a little kid, bouncing up and down and around and screaming like a little girl as he threw confetti around or something. In that scenario he would be more than willing to help her even if it meant invading his Father's things. This though… it wasn't even in her to know how to approach a Kentin who wasn't exited about the great news.

He could at least clap, she thought in sudden irritation. And here she thought he had cared for Lucia!

She voiced her new found opinion of him. Kentin looked at her searchingly for a moment. He briefly hesitated and then he closed his eyes, shaking his head a little.

"That isn't what I meant… I mean I know she is alive. I have known, from the beginning nearly. Or at least I knew that her "death" was a clever setup. I never knew if she had managed to stay alive until now…"

Rosalya's mouth dropped open. She was aware her eyes were popping out.

A bird chirped outside the opened window as they regarded each other. It was so quiet the sound of the fridge and even the way he breathed was unnaturally loud seeming.

"Say it again." She demanded when she recovered.

"I'm not playing that game." Kentin sighed as he bit into the cookie.

"You!... how dare you?!" She shouted angrily. "How could you not tell anyone?!"

Kentin regarded her for a moment before he rose up. He dusted the crumbs from his hands as he looked at her with his head cocked. "There are things that you don't know. I shouldn't even know them."

"Like what?!"

His eyes hardened suddenly. "Listen! I loved Lucia. But her past…" he hesitated. "She was an amazing friend and was always there for me. That's why even though it hurt I let her become a tragic memory to this town!"

"Her past, her past! Everyone puts too much stock in the past. It shouldn't be used as a way to keep her from us!" Rosalya snapped.

"You can stay blind if you want! It's what she obviously wants since she didn't feel the need to clue us in!"

He was angry and defensive now, defending his actions. Rosalya was just as angry and she was restless. No matter what Lucia had done she was a friend and Rosalya loved her like a sister. She wanted her back.

"What is this horrible past then?" She asked after a calming breath.

Kentin was struggling to calm down too. He had turned from her in an effort to school his features. His shoulders were rising and falling with his agitated breath. When he did finally turn back to her he looked calm except a slightly stony set to his mouth.

It thinned into a grim look. "If you want to know… come on."

Rosalya followed him. He led her to a room lined with books and an imposingly large desk; he told her it was his Father's study.

He sat at the computer. Rosalya was silent as he rummaged through his pocket until he produced a thin black USB port.

"What is it?" Rosalya asked as he inserted it, noticing his face looked pained.

"It's just... I didn't mean to get this. I found it on the floor after my Father left shortly after Lucia's… disappearance. He was in such a hurry I guess he dropped it. I thought it might have been one of mine. After I told him I had it he… explained everything more fully than this file will."

He hovered the mouse over a file marked Advanced project. Rosalya gasped when he looked up at her suddenly. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes already!" She snapped.

Kentin sighed again and looked at the monitor. "You know… this hasn't changed how I feel about Lucia… it never would have meant much to me even had I known it from the beginning. You're right when you say the past shouldn't matter but… there are some things that can't just be ignored..."

His words were cryptic to say the least. But Rosalya tossed them aside as being overdramatic as he opened the file. Then page after page began to pop up. As he shifted through them Rosalya saw images mixed in. She didn't register them much with her mind focused on Lucia until she registered something unusual.

"Do they have crimson eyes?" She demanded sharply, leaning on the desk to see better.

"The sign of the Advanced. The cold stare from eyes that shine like liquid blood." Kentin said grimly. "Here she is."

Rosalya took the seat he vacated. As she read her eyes grew wider and wider. There was charts and information on her. All on Lucia.

* * *

Name: Lucia Clarington: ID number _3628_

Age five when inducted into Shadow Fang

Age twelve when partnered with Advanced Tristian Fallows, _ID# 2456_: file list adjacent

Age thirteen when first kill was made: file list of claimed kills adjacent

Age fourteen when Advanced serums injected into bloodstream

Age sixteen when brought in by Organization

Classified as dangerous by the Organization's head

Execution scheduled for the third of January

All Executions stalled by new head of the Organization Locke and his Partner Raisha

Memories ripped on the fifth of January, three hours after the new head ordered it

_ID# 3628_ entrusted to Tata Akashiya, retired widow

Advanced project has been laid out. The aim to give Advanced assassins a chance at normal life without past haunting

Awoken with no problems ID# 3628

_ID# 3628_ engaged in fight by Advanced member Aria, unable to capture suspect

_ID# 3628_ showing signs of violence and possible memory recovery

_ID# 3628_ regained memories triggered by school trauma. Has shown no outright violence since recovery but will be monitored

_ID# 3628_ vanished with _ID# 2456_, made to look as though dead

* * *

Rosalya got to the end of the various things. Her hand acted on its own and clicked on the file of the kills attributed to Lucia and this… Tristian?

The number was startling. After a moment she looked at Kentin. "What does… this mean?"

Kentin was studying her with hard eyes. "It means Lucia, the real Lucia, was trained as a killer since she was a young child. There were always signs of it even without her memories. She was too strong and too concentrated when she fought. There was always that vague presence of violence tightly leashed. Without her memories she couldn't control the violent urges so well." Kentin paused to close the files and remove the USB port.

"Normally in a partnered pair of Advanced it is the dominant one who controls when the submissive, Lucia in this case, acts out and how. Remember she used to snap so easily with Amber when she picked on me. That was because she literally couldn't help herself. All her self-control went with her memories and she didn't have a partner to take up the slack of that loss of training she had. It was the same with the other Advanced teenagers the Organization ripped."

"And she was different… before the end." Rosalya said as she remembered.

Lucia hadn't been the same. She had more seemed more substantial, less in the clouds of lala land. It was hard to explain at the time why Lucia had been different. Rosalya had put it down to the strain of what she was going through. It never had occurred to her that Lucia might have changed because her memories had returned!

And she had hid it for days before faking her death… it burned in Rosalya's mind, a small candle of anger and another of regret. Maybe if she had noticed… she wondered if Lucia was still capable of killing though. That thought was the one that repeated. Lucia was a killer.

"The trauma she went through… it was that fight with Castiel wasn't it?" She guessed and began to make leaps and tie the pieces together. Lysander had said the girl had been having horrible and splitting pains in her head after the fight and it hadn't been the first time she had brought it up to him. The first time he had been able to calm her down with Castiel but Lysander didn't have the same hold on her when he was by himself.

"Yes. From what my Father said the Advanced acted very similar when it came down to their interaction patterns. They each sought out someone with similar qualities to their partners. Castiel is harsh and hard to get along with. He is a very dominant person. Lucia was attracted to that just like her original partner Tristian was attracted to a submissive girl named Dilly Shanks who lives in a town about thirty miles from here."

"She wasn't with him just for that though. They had a real connection." Rosalya argued.

"After awhile yes, they ended up being more suited than just as a dominant for her submissive personality. However there were various incidents when Castiel was able to wield a leadership over her. Unconsciously she began following his orders even in little things. Eating food she disliked, not fighting Amber when he told her no. And then on bigger things. He was able to prevent her from gaining her memories much earlier. She would have regained them twice before due to exhaustion and weakened defenses. Castiel stopped her the first time when he ordered her to wake up, he and Lysander both handled it the second time. The third time he was the cause of the trauma so he couldn't do anything even if he had been around to see her fracturing."

Rosalya digested it all and Kentin remained silent. He was waiting silently for her next volley of questions. His patience and blank face were somehow infuriating to her even as they comforted her greatly.

"… I still want her back." She said finally. "She is Lucia, my friend… my wifey." Her voice shook a bit at the affectionate term. "Why did she leave like that?" No matter what, Rosalya thought, I will not cry.

Kentin heaved another sigh. "That I can only guess at. My Father said that Shadow Fang is rallying. It might be she was approached to rejoin the group and kill again. It might be she simply wanted to leave out of mistrust for the Organization… or when Tristian reappeared before her she might have fallen back into her role as his partner. I'm not real sure."

"You said partner. And it's here too. And you also said Advanced…"

"An Advanced is just a term used to represent a group of people who have been genetically altered for better performance. Their DNA itself is altered to reproduce the serum into their systems for the remainder of their lives. They all have crimson eyes and usually odd hair. Hair that is too brightly colored or oddly highlighted, or completely unnatural without dye like Lucia's."

"Shadow Fang assassins were generally groups of two. Teams were called "partners." They were trained to become completely co-dependant on their partner and live for them. If one partner was killed the remaining generally sought revenge and then, if it was obtained, they killed themselves after. If it wasn't they were killed in that fight. Nobody who had the chance to would let an Advanced live, especially an enraged one."

"It wasn't to be cruel that the Organization kept them separated and stripped their memories. The leader, some guy named Locke, wanted them to be able to live normal lives."

"His Father was against that. He believed that the Advanced assassins of Shadow Fang were too violently inclined and too removed from society to function without killing. I guess Locke felt similiat up to a point. His solution was to strip the memories from them so they wouldn't have their past memories and instincts to rely on when it came to handling things. He wanted to cut that total dependence they had on each other as well so they could grow healthy. But the serums kept producing in their system and eventually it started taking out the memory blocks. Or that's the theory for now…" Kentin shrugged at his lack of knowledge on that point.

Rosalya read the rest of the files. It was well after dark when she rose again. Kentin had left the room about half an hour ago to get more drinks and cookies. The amount of time he had been gone hadn't registered until now. She went out into the halls to see what the hold-up was.

"Kentin?" She called out.

She turned a corner and froze. "You!" She breathed in shock.

"You're Aria! From before…" Rosalya stumbled back before she rallied. "Where's Kentin?!"

Aria cocked her head. "Oh Casey should have him loaded and miles from here by now. I would have grabbed you earlier but… you were so intent on digging around Lucia's past." She smiled playfully. "Were you disgusted? I told you before didn't I? The real Lucia isn't good. She was and is a killer. The real Lucia won't give two fucks about you unless Tristian tells her to."

"You're wrong!" Just like before on that night in the park Rosalya was quick to come to the defense of Lucia.

"Well in any case you'd better hope so. If she doesn't come for you all this time…" Aria giggled and twirled a dagger meaningfully. "You'll be fun to cut. I do love pretty little girls like you. They're so full of blood and the screams… I really do hope Lucia comes for you though. Her screams will be the best to draw out."

Rosalya tried to run of course. But Aria soon grew sick of toying with her. With a quick ease she had a dagger around Rosalya's throat just like last time. Only this time there wasn't any Lucia feet away aware of the risk of her friend dying. Lucia wouldn't even know that Rosalya and Kentin had been taken!

"You can't just kill two kids." Rosalya said. "We have families, people will look for us."

Aria hummed a bit. "Like you looked for Lucia after you found her little death scene? She had you all fooled for over a year and I was trained by the same people who taught her those things. Do you really think it would be hard to fake your accidental deaths too?"

A needle pierced into the throbbing vein on her neck. Rosalya was vaguely aware of being lifted afterwards and carried but it soon faded. Instead she was floating, drifting away and not held by gravity anymore. Then she closed her eyes completely.

It took Aria two days to get to the base. It hadn't been fun at all listening to the girls lip. The little bitch hadn't shut up until Aria threatened to send her head back to her parents.

When she finally did pull into the underground garage she inserted another sleeping serum into the wriggling girls neck. Just as before it took only moments for her eyes to droop and then she was in Aria's arms being carried inside.

She dropped the silver haired girl next to a silver haired boy in Victorian clothes. The number had been three. Her eyes looked at their fourth guest… Kentin? It hardly mattered.

He was leaning against the wall at a rather odd angle. Then the special guest, the one who filled Aria with more rage. A red head… without any prompting she drew her heeled foot back and drove her heel into his face, slamming him into the ground. He groaned in his drug induced sleep but didn't open his eyes.

It would be him… whether Lucia came for them or not it would be him Aria would gut first.

* * *

End chapter

Author note: So much dialogue. If something confused you let me know and I'll explain. And now then. Is Aria working alone for her revenge against Lucia or is she back with Shadow Fang? Threatening Castiel, I am so bad. See you all next time!


End file.
